Two months after the resignation of its inaugural leader, the New Hanover Community Endowment announced Monday it has selected a firm to guide the search for a new president and CEO.

North Carolina-based moss+ross will guide the search for the endowment’s next president and chief executive officer, according to a news release issued Monday. William Buster, the endowment’s inaugural president and CEO, resigned in early February after just over two years at the helm of the organization.

“We are excited to work with moss+ross as we search for the next leader of the endowment,” stated Board Vice Chair Shannon Winslow in the news release. Winslow also leads the endowment’s CEO search committee. “moss+ross will manage the search process to help us attract outstanding candidates and choose the best person to lead us toward transformational change in our community, now and into the future.”

moss+ross has provided consulting for more than 265 North Carolina nonprofit and educational organizations over the last 15 years, according to Monday’s release. The company works across all sectors, including higher education, health care, social services and faith communities. Its search services focus on C-suite executives.

“We are honored to partner with the endowment to fill this critical role in the community,” Mary Moss, the firm's partner and co-founder stated in the release. “Our work gives us a deep understanding of the impact strong leadership can have on an organization. We look forward to working with the search committee to find people who are excited about this opportunity.”  

The company will work with the CEO search committee to finalize a position description, recruit applicants, interview candidates and select a finalist for board approval, according to the release.

The approximately $1.3 billion endowment was formed from the proceeds of the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2020.

The latest funding cycle, which was announced in December, will distribute approximately $53 million to New Hanover County groups over the next three years, including more than $22 million for the Health Care Talent Collaboration, a partnership of local organizations. Another $6.8 million in funding was announced in February to support a grocery store from the Northside Food Cooperative.

The endowment also announced Monday that it's accepting applications for its Community Advisory Council. Council members will act as liaisons between the endowment and the community and offer guidance on the endowment's focus areas.

All members must be New Hanover County residents and ideal candidates will have "demonstrated collaboration skills and prior service to the community," according to a news release.

The deadline to apply is May 6. Interested individuals can access the application here. The endowment expects to announce the new council members in June, the release states.