Trustees Come Together to Create the Kyong and David Mancos Professional Development Endowed Fund

By Katharine Atkins, Director of Advancement

Words used to describe David Mancos are consistent: loyal, hard worker, ethical, servant leader. For 24 years, he has led Country Day as the chief financial officer, managing an operating budget of $50 million, a team of 110 employees, and an endowment of more than $60 million. Under his responsibility are the Business Office and Human Resources, Information Technology, Plant Operations, Security, Transportation, the Campus Store, and Food Service.

These facts alone are impressive, but what sets David apart is his genuine love of Country Day; and his care and concern for our entire faculty, staff, and students. This past school year, David ably and soundly served our school as Interim Head of School, in addition to maintaining his CFO duties.

To honor his decades of dedicated service to Country Day, several former and current Trustees came together last spring to create the Kyong and David Mancos Professional Development Endowed Fund. It seems only fitting that this fund supports our faculty and staff as David has always been a champion of all Country Day employees. “David has always been such the loyal soldier, ‘just show me the hill, sir,’” says former Board of Trustees Chair Watts Hamrick ’77. “But then he got a battlefield promotion to be Interim Head of School, and did he ever rise to the occasion, and we wanted to honor his years of dedicated service.”

Carl Showalter, also a former trustee notes, “We all know how strongly David feels about his relationships, especially with the faculty and staff. An endowment that will provide long-term support and development opportunities seemed the perfect fit and way to honor David and his wife, Kyong.”

Under the leadership of Carl and Watts, over $1 million has been raised for the endowment to celebrate David’s two-decade legacy at our school, in addition to providing important funding for our dedicated faculty and staff. The funds from this endowment will directly benefit growth and learning opportunities for our employees, which will, in turn, directly benefit our student body.

Carl and Watts agree that they would “happily go into any foxhole with Mancos—our lives are better because of our friendship with David.” And our school is too!

This fund was established in 2022 to honor David’s longstanding service to Charlotte Country Day School. The fund supports professional development and growth opportunities for our talented faculty and staff.

At the end of fiscal year 2021–22, Country Day had 75 restricted and unrestricted endowment and scholarship funds valued at $66 million.