Dr. David Stegall

David Stegall, Ed.D. serves as Vice President of Programs and Grants at The Endowment, where he leads the organization’s program and grant strategy to advance its mission of improving health, education, safety, and economic opportunity for every person in New Hanover County. He oversees grantmaking across The Endowment’s four strategic pillars and guides the organization’s impact and learning functions, ensuring that data, research, measurement, and continuous learning inform investments and partnerships.

Since joining The Endowment in 2025 as Director of Education and Community Development, David has helped lead community-focused initiatives to strengthen educational outcomes, expand education-to-career pathways, and increase learning opportunities for residents of all ages. He has built strong relationships with community leaders and partners to advance lasting, community-driven solutions.

Stegall brings nearly three decades of leadership experience in education at the local, state, national, and international levels, with a focus on educational innovation, student outcomes, and system-level change.

Before joining The Endowment, Stegall served as Chief of System Innovation for the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, where he helped design and scale educational frameworks for military-connected students worldwide. He also served as Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, leading statewide efforts to support innovation and local school districts.

As superintendent of Newton-Conover City Schools, Stegall led a comprehensive district turnaround. During his tenure, every school exceeded academic growth targets, graduation rates rose above 95 percent, and the district consistently ranked among the top-performing systems in North Carolina.

Most recently, Stegall was selected to participate in Cohort 6 of ElevateNC: Higher Education, a Hunt Institute leadership program that brings together education, workforce, and community leaders from across North Carolina to address challenges related to access, affordability, completion, and attainment.

Stegall succeeds Dagenais, who has served as The Endowment’s Vice President of Programs and Grants since January 27, 2025 and was named President and CEO earlier this year. Following her appointment, she continued to serve concurrently as Vice President and President and CEO until today’s announcement of Stegall as her successor.