Wittenberg will welcome Damu McCoy, class of 1994, as the keynote speaker for the next Tiger Time Break Day, March 10, focusing on helping students re-charge, re-fuel, and ignite their future.
McCoy, vice president of talent acquisition at Target Corporation, will participate in a “Discussion on the Future of Work and the Evolving Recruitment Landscape” from noon to 1 p.m., virtually. Register to attend here.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he currently resides, McCoy earned his degree in business administration with a minor in philosophy at Wittenberg and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
“I started my career at Target in merchandising one week after graduating from Wittenberg,” McCoy said. “I spent some time in technology, but always found myself taking a ‘people-first’ approach to solving problems and eventually found my way to human resources.”
In his job with Target, McCoy is responsible for leading the recruitment teams across the enterprise who find talent from stores and the supply chain, to technology, finance, merchandising, design, etc. He has led teams in several operational areas including buying, planning, and technology during his 26 years with the company.
“My favorite part of my job is leveraging my passion for people to help individuals realize a future that (at times) they may not even see for themselves,” he said. “This includes creating career pathways for underrepresented groups, assisting people who are making mid-career changes as well as driving diverse representation across many different businesses.”
In addition to his work at Target, McCoy is actively involved in the local community. He has served on several nonprofit boards focused on reducing disparities for diverse and low-income individuals and is currently serving as Board Chair for Project for Pride in Living, which provides transformative affordable housing and career readiness services. He also serves on the Board of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and was recently appointed to the board for the Minnesota Children’s Hospital.
During his keynote address with Wittenberg students, McCoy plans to share the future of the employment landscape by addressing how the pandemic alongside current realities are shaping the future of work as COVID-19 has posed numerous challenges to an already fast-changing workforce and employment environment. He knows these challenges well and will walk students through this topic, as well as how to best prepare themselves for the future that lies ahead.
During his time at Wittenberg, McCoy was involved with the rugby club and the speech team. During his junior year, he won the state of Ohio speech tournament, advancing to the national tournament.
“Although I had never heard of rugby before going to Wittenberg, I quickly learned to love the sport and very much enjoyed being a part of it,” McCoy said. “While attending school, one of my professors encouraged me to try public speaking by joining the debate team and I enjoyed it as well. There were three professors from Wittenberg in particular that shaped my mindset by challenging me on how I think, how I work, and how I view what is possible.” With McCoy’s first job being an on-campus tour guide in the Admissions Department, he finds it interesting how it correlates with his current role at Target. “Back then, I enjoyed representing the brand of the University I attended, and today I enjoy representing the brand of the organization I am a part of.”
