MANHATTAN, N.Y. – East Carolina head coach Heather Macy attended the 2013 Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Center for Coaching Excellence (CCE) which was held in Manhattan earlier this week. Coach Macy was selected as one of 32 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) head coaches to participate in the invitation-only, two-and-a-half day elite leadership program hosted by Columbia University.
It was Macy's first time attending the event she described as "a very powerful experience." Macy was able to interact with other women's basketball coaches as well as attend seminars from a number of leaders in collegiate athletics. Among the lecturers were Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, the director of intercollegiate athletics and physical education at Columbia; Dr. Cathie T. Siders, a clinical psychologist, organizational consultant and executive coach; as well as retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead.
"The opportunity to learn and grow allowed me to come back to Greenville feeling reenergized," Macy said. "Seeing strong leaders and being able to learn from them was a very powerful experience."
Coach Macy was struck by General Halstead's words, "The first person you must lead is you." With the experience and knowledge she was able to take away from the Center for Coaching Excellence, Macy feels confident in bringing that same excitement and energy back to ECU for the 2013-14 season as she will follow Halstead's words and lead by example.
"I learned a lot of strategy that I want to implement with both the team and coaching staff," Macy stated. "Leadership is a key component. There was so much that I can take away and apply within our staff, team, and program heading into next season."
The CCE was created in 2011 through a partnership between Columbia and the WBCA. It is funded in part through a grant from the NCAA. The CCE provides an exclusive learning experience for attendees. The most recent meeting marked the sixth session of the program.
