The head of the Cape Fear Community College Foundation has resigned, officials said Friday.

Margaret Robison, who started working at the foundation in July 2004, is leaving her position as executive director for institutional advancement to pursue other opportunities, said Martha Harlan, chairwoman of the foundation board.

“She did an amazing job, and we’re sorry to see her go, but we can’t thank her enough for everything she has done,” Harlan said. “She has just been amazing.”

Harlan said the foundation’s endowment has grown from $1 million when Robison started 12 years ago to more than $8 million. The foundation provides funding for CFCC scholarships and programs.

“She's helped so many students ... She’s going to really be missed. She just played such a huge role there,” Harlan said.

Efforts to reach Robison, whose resignation is effective Dec. 31, were unsuccessful as of Friday afternoon.  

Harlan and Amanda Lee, president of CFCC, met Friday morning to talk about the job description, and the school will soon start recruiting for a new executive director, Harlan said.

“Margaret has had a tremendous impact on the lives of our students,” Lee said Friday, in an emailed statement. “Her energy and passion for education has enabled our Foundation to assist countless students in their educational journey.”

Sandy Spiers, city president of SunTrust Bank and a longtime CFCC volunteer, said Robison had a knack for recruiting and keeping volunteers.

"I've worked with a lot of volunteer groups, and she ran a very good ship with understanding how to make the people who volunteer feel good about volunteering and want to come back, as well as cultivating the donor," Spiers said.

Robison’s salary was $98,208, according to the school's records. The foundation executive director’s salary is set and paid for by CFCC, according to the nonprofit foundation’s IRS 990 form.

The filing says the foundation’s total revenue grew from $1.7 million to $2.6 million between the fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15.

According to its website, the foundation “exists to support the mission of the College and its students, faculty, staff, programs, scholarships and specific capital projects.”