Thursday, August 04, 2022

After an extensive national search, UNC Wilmington’s Division for University Advancement has named Melissa Sinclair ’01 the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Major Gifts.

Before ascending to her current position, Sinclair served as the UNCW College of Health & Human Services’ (CHHS) Director of Development for Major Gifts since 2019. While with CHHS, Sinclair acted as the liaison between University Advancement and CHHS to drive donor strategy, solicitation and stewardship to further the mission of CHHS in improving health and quality of life. She helped raise more than $6.8M in gifts and pledges to CHHS during Like No Other: The Campaign for UNCW, including securing capital funding to complete the Human Anatomy Laboratory.

“The privilege of serving the College of Health & Human Services at my alma mater has only intensified my passion to further support our students, faculty and programs through philanthropy,” Sinclair said. “This new position affords me the opportunity to continue to serve this great university from a broader lens, and alongside a very talented team.”

Prior to UNCW, Sinclair held a trio of positions with the Eastern Carolinas Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) over nearly nine years. In her final position, as executive director, she developed strong working relationships with MDA families, local health care providers, networks, volunteers and vendors. Her district office had the largest consumer engagement program in the country, with a refined strategy for family engagement.

A native of Wilmington, Sinclair earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in political science and criminal justice before beginning an almost two-decade career in non-profit management. She is a participant in the 2022 cohort of the WILMA Leadership Institute, WILMA magazine’s nine-month professional-development program in which Wilmington-area women learn from leaders and visit companies in the region.

--Sarah Fetters