Your network needs to be built and maintained before you ever need to call on it yourself.
Member of Adelphi University’s 10 Under 10
Management, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business
Director of Event Marketing, National Urban League
Eu’nice McCoy first decided to attend Adelphi University for practical reasons, but by the time she attended orientation week before starting her first year, she fell in love with the campus and the people. She was a commuter student, so it was important to attend an institution that had a robust commuter population but where she would still feel connected as a student—and Adelphi helped her feel part of it all.
As a business management major, McCoy was immersed in courses like finance, accounting, human resources and marketing. She found her marketing classes especially interesting, her favorite being one taught by Stephanie Berger, adjunct professor of decision sciences and marketing.
“Whether we were diving into marketing case studies or creating our own marketing plans, listening to guest speakers who added color and depth to what we were learning, or taking advertising field trips to visit Ogilvy or McCann, Professor Berger made sure that we knew how the knowledge in our textbook translated into the real-world work experience,” McCoy says.
McCoy also recalls electives that taught her skills she puts to use in business today, like introductory acting and improvisation courses. She says she employs the fundamentals of improv in her work to improve communication, group presentation skills and brainstorming ideas. Similarly, Ballroom Dancing offered lasting lessons on leading, following, trust and communication.
While at Adelphi, McCoy interned in the Marketing and Communications Department for the National Urban League, the historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality and social justice, a position she obtained through the University’s Jaggar Community Fellows Program. This internship led to a position after her graduation with the Urban Empowerment Fund, a subsidiary of the organization that serves as its small business lending subsidiary.
In 2015, McCoy transitioned back to working in marketing and communications for the National Urban League, and has since risen through the ranks to director of event marketing. In this role, she directs and oversees the development and execution of all internal and external-facing National Urban League events, including meetings, conferences, board meetings, retreats and convenings.
From 2020 through 2022, McCoy served as president of the New York Urban League Young Professionals, the volunteer organization of the New York Urban League, after serving on its board in various capacities since 2016. As president, McCoy led the almost 200-member organization amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on membership engagement, relationship enhancement and partnership enrichment initiatives. During this time, the chapter held approximately 150 events with an emphasis on service and advocacy impact, and won seven national awards.
McCoy says that her acceptance in 2020 into and completion of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice Community Leadership and Social Change Fellows program is among her greatest achievements. This competitive program aims to ground emerging nonprofit and community leaders in the systemic context of social change work and develop their management and leadership skills.
“Adelphi and the Jaggar Community Fellows Program changed my life and connected me with the amazing job I have today,” McCoy says. “That one internship with the National Urban League blossomed into four amazing professional opportunities with the organization.”
McCoy stresses the importance of building a network and remembering to give as much as you take in relationships. She says, “Your network needs to be built and maintained before you ever need to call on it yourself.”
Outside of her professional endeavors, McCoy enjoys traveling, collecting new passport stamps, and finding the adventure in ordinary life.
She adds, “You are the main character in your own life story, and you get to decide how your story turns out.”