Delta Chi_Knight Errant_Spring23

68 KNIGHT ERRANT | THE DELTA CHI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
“Thanks to my
time in Delta
Chi, my fear
of speaking in
front of others
was completely
gone!”
Impact Report: Leadership
Kenny McCoig
Embry-Riddle ‘02
Brother Kenny McCoig credits his time in Delta
Chi for the many leadership skills he has used
throughout his career. Kenny’s father was a civil
engineer, and Kenny thought he might want to
follow the same path. Kenny was accepted to
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the
brand new Civil Engineering program in 1997.
“The summer before I went to Embry-Riddle,
I spent some time observing the civil engineering
process and decided it was not for me. I had to
go to the Dean of the civil engineering program
and tell him that his program was not a fit. He
was not happy but reluctantly signed the form
allowing me to change my major to Computer
Engineering.”
When arriving at Embry-Riddle, Kenny did not
initially want to join a fraternity. “I had only
ever heard of fraternities through what I had seen
on TV, so I didn’t have any interest in joining.
During my freshman year, there were a number
of guys I got to know through classes. We helped
each other with coursework. I was surprised to
find out that these guys, whom I already knew
and considered to be good men, were fraternity
men. They simply invited me to hang out with
them, and I had a great time. I decided these are
my kind of people, so I joined Delta Chi.”
“After my second year of school, I felt that the
cost of school was getting very difficult to keep
up with. I thought my only option was to transfer
to UCF, which was a much cheaper education. I
looked into the school and found that there is no
Delta Chi chapter, and I even asked if an expansion
would be possible, so I wouldn’t have even
been able to start a new chapter. I ultimately
made what was always the right decision and
stayed at Embry-Riddle because there was no way
I could miss out on that brotherhood.”
Much of Kenny’s career has been working for
InterPlan, an architecture and engineering firm
focused primarily on restaurant, retail, commercial,
and hospitality design. In 1997, Kenny
interned for Interplan in their plot room, printing
blueprints and helping in the accounting department.
Kenny eventually began working in the
IT department and was promoted to the head of
the IT department in 2008. In 2019, Kenny became
an ownership partner in the company and still
oversees the IT department.
Kenny has several thoughts to share when asked
about his leadership style and how Delta Chi
helped him.
“I was the “C” of the chapter for three years. That
position helped me stay organized and indirectly
helped the chapter stay organized. Speaking in
front of others was also a big fear for me growing
up. When you are actively doing your job, you
are viewed as the authority on the topic you’re
speaking about, and your brothers will absolutely
let you know when you’ve messed up! Being on
the executive committee, I had to speak in front
of the chapter over and over, and I realized after
leaving school that my fear of speaking in front
of others was completely gone. I now speak at our
semi-annual all-hands meeting for the company.
I am completely comfortable up in front of
everyone.”
Kenny and his wife have several ways to relax
and destress outside of work. “My wife is a
mental health professional, and I am responsible
for keeping company IT operations running 24/7,
so we both have a decent amount of stress with
our jobs. We relax by getting away and traveling
or spending time outdoors; Florida is a great
place for this. I recently trained and completed a
triathlon. My wife and I like to experiment with
cooking; we have a garden where we grow vegetables
and herbs. I also brew beer and kombucha,
which is a fun and creative outlet. I’m hoping to
get my scuba certification next year and complete
my USCG captain license soon after that!”