The New Hanover Community Endowment on Thursday announced the appointment of an Amazon executive to its board and the reappointment of founding board member David Sprunt.

"Holly S. Sullivan, a Wilmington resident and Amazon’s vice president of worldwide economic development, steps onto the NHCE Board with a proven track record in driving transformative growth on a global scale," according to a news release. "Her strategic insight and forward-thinking leadership will inject fresh energy and perspective into NHCE, positioning the endowment for even greater community impact and innovation."

The endowment was formed from the sale of county-owned New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2021, creating a more than $1 billion fund from the bulk of the sale proceeds. Since then, NHCE has announced several funding measures, including more than $14 million across 15 grants for existing and future housing programs.

Sullivan will assume her endowment role on Jan. 1, succeeding Patrick Maguire, who has served on the board since 2022, the release stated.

"As a member of the board’s investment committee, Maguire (pictured at left) helped guide the endowment’s fund from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion, enabling significant increasing investments in the greater Wilmington community. Under his leadership, NHCE committed more than $101 million to local projects during his tenure," the release stated.

Maguire’s term ends Dec. 31, and he did not seek reappointment, according to the release.

Sprunt (pictured above) has been reappointed for a third term. Serving as chair and member of the board’s audit-finance committee, he "played a key role in shaping the endowment’s financial and operational best practices. Before any formal staff were hired, Sprunt stepped in as defacto CFO, laying the groundwork for NHCE’s current financial oversight," the release stated.

“David has been an essential leader in establishing our financial integrity,” said Dan Winslow, CEO and president of NHCE, in the release. “His continued service ensures stability and growth as we move forward.”