WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Endowment welcomes two highly accomplished and respected leaders to its Programs and Grants team as pillar leads: Dr. David Stegall as Director of Education and Mary Vail Ware as Director of Community Safety. In these roles, they will partner closely with the community to develop long-term, community-rooted solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing New Hanover County.
Dr. David Stegall brings nearly three decades of transformative leadership in education at every level in North Carolina, nationally and internationally. His career is defined by turning underperforming schools into top achievers and leading systemic reform through innovation and equity.
Most recently, Dr. Stegall served as Chief of System Innovation for the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, where he designed and scaled educational frameworks that serve military-connected students around the world. He previously held the role of Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where he led statewide efforts to advance educational innovation and support local school districts.
As Superintendent of Newton-Conover City Schools, Dr. Stegall led a full turnaround of the district. All schools exceeded growth targets. Graduation rates climbed above 95 percent. The district became one of the top five in the state, year after year.
At The Endowment, Dr. Stegall will serve as pillar lead for education, guiding strategy and grantmaking across early learning, K–12 outcomes, higher education, and workforce readiness. He will collaborate closely with internal colleagues and partners across sectors to help build an education system where every student can succeed.
“David is the kind of leader who doesn’t just talk about outcomes, he delivers them,” said Sophie Dagenais, Vice President of Programs and Grants. “He understands what it takes to shift systems and sustain results.”
Joining alongside Dr. Stegall later this month is Mary Vail Ware, who will serve as the pillar lead for Community Safety. An expert in violence prevention, justice systems, and community healing, she brings more than 20 years of experience building partnerships that reduce harm, improve safety, and rebuild trust between communities and institutions.
Mary Vail most recently served as Senior Director of Justice and Victim Services at ICF International, managing a $75 million portfolio of national initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Her work helped shape response strategies for gun violence, mass violence incidents, and survivor support programs across the country.
At the state level, she led innovative campaigns through the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, including the highly successful Respect Richmond campaign, which contributed to a 16 percent reduction in gun violence. Earlier in her career, she served as Executive Director of Quin Rivers Agency for Community Action, where she expanded funding, launched prevention and housing programs, and built cross-sector alliances with tribal nations, local governments, and faith communities.
At The Endowment, Mary Vail will lead a comprehensive community safety strategy that builds on community strengths and promotes youth development and opportunity. She will also help with preparedness and systems coordination. Her approach will engage and activate the voices of residents and frontline organizations, promote neighborhood resiliency and vitality, and align with The Endowment’s bold goals across our four pillars.
“Mary Vail brings the wisdom of national experience and the heart of a community advocate,” said Dagenais. “She knows how to build safety from the ground up, with people, data, and trust.”
Together, Stegall and Ware bring a powerful mix of systems thinking, hands-on leadership, and a commitment to real outcomes for real people. Their appointments reflect The Endowment’s deepening focus on education and safety as cornerstones of a healthy and vibrant community for all.
President and CEO Dan Winslow stated, “Our lean staffing model requires that we hire highly talented team members in each role. Mary Vail and David bring leadership and expertise as change agents to two key pillars for our community. I look forward to their continued success in our work.”
About The Endowment
The Endowment’s mission is to address the root challenges in community safety, community development, health and social equity, and education and to develop impactful solutions for every person in New Hanover County. The Endowment was established from the sale of the county-owned New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2020. The initial fund has grown from nearly $1.3 billion to allow millions of dollars to be awarded as grants each year in perpetuity.
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