COLUMBUS, Ohio – Melissa McGhee, head dance coach at Ohio State, has been selected as the National Dance Coaches Association College Coach of the Year for 2020, the organization has announced. The news was made public at the NDCA’s general business meeting last week, which was held virtually.
A full video of the presentation, which includes the other four nominees for NDCA College Coach of the Year as well as the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees, can be found HERE.
This past January, McGhee led the Buckeye dance team to its fourth national championship, claiming gold at the D1A Jazz National Championship in Orlando, Fla. The Buckeyes took home silver in the Pom category after winning national titles in that category in both 2018 and 2019.
McGhee, who earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2011 and was a four-year member of the dance team as an undergraduate, was named the team’s coach in 2011. Since then, she – along with assistant coach Patrick Carmichael – has firmly established the program among the national elite.
In addition to her duties coaching the dance team, McGhee is also the director of student-athlete development for the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute. Her focus is on career development and preparation, which includes the Bucks Go Pro internship program and the Wolstein Leadership Academy. McGhee is uniquely qualified for the role, having spent eight years in corporate human resources with Abercrombie & Fitch, having last served as Director of Human Resources-Associate Relations and Leadership Development.
