David Timothy McCoy (born August 27, 1952) is an
American Indian attorney and state public official in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. McCoy is a member of the
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe language: ''Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag'') is a Native American tribe of Ojibwa mixed heritage people, who would be considered Metis if they were Canadian, based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reser ...
and was the first American Indian to serve in several roles in North Carolina state government, including State Controller, State Budget Director, and Secretary of the
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
History
The North Carolina ...
.
Early life and education
McCoy was born in 1952 in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, the third of seven children. McCoy's stepfather served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, and McCoy consequently spent much of his childhood in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, North Carolina,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
McCoy attended the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
, graduating with a
Bachelors of Science
Bachelors of Science is the stage name of Phil "Rene" Collis, Chris Doe and Lukeino Argilla. They met in California and formed a successful act, quickly becoming one of the top drum and bass producers in the electronic music scene. Focusing pri ...
in Education in 1976 and a
Master of Education
The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...
in Educational Psychology in 1979. He then attended the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
where he earned a
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...
in 1982. As a student in Public Health, he served as co-chairperson of the Minority Student Caucus. In 1983, he attended the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians at the
University of New Mexico School of Law
The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1947, it is the first and only law school in the state.
...
before returning to Chapel Hill to earn a Juris Doctor at the
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in North Carol ...
.
During law school, he continued to work for the School of Public Health as director of UNC's Master of Public Health Program for American Indians. McCoy was the first member of a federally recognized tribe to graduate from the University of North Carolina School of Law
and was the founder of the UNC School of Law Native American Law Students Association. He has held an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accre ...
since 1986.
Political career
Commission of Indian Affairs
As Deputy Director of the Commission of Indian Affairs, McCoy worked to "improve the economy, the schools, and the quality of life for North Carolina's Native American citizens." In 1988,
citizens were taken hostage at ''
The Robesonian
''The Robesonian'' is a newspaper published in Lumberton, North Carolina, Tuesday through Friday afternoon and Saturday and Sunday morning.
The ''Robesonian'' traces its heritage back to 1870, when it was established by W.S. McDiamid, a Baptist ...
'' newspaper offices; McCoy was the initial negotiator with Native American hostage takers Eddie Hatcher and Timothy Jacobs and worked to de-escalate the hostage crisis. Following this incident, he worked to establish the Robeson County Dispute Resolution Center, a tri-racial initiative, in
Lumberton, North Carolina
Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the seat of Robeson County's government.
Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lum ...
.
In response to the
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a Federally recognized tribe, federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the U ...
' request to engage in gaming activities in North Carolina under the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (, ''et seq.'') is a 1988 United States federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. There was no federal gaming structure before this act. The stated purposes of the act ...
, he was appointed by Governor
James G. Martin
James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the ...
and subsequently by Governor
James B. Hunt Jr. as the State's lead liaison and chief negotiator for the gaming compact with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Following the adoption of the Compact, he served on the
Cherokee Preservation Foundation
Cherokee Preservation Foundation is an independent nonprofit foundation established in 2000 as part of the Tribal-State Compact amendment between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and the State of North Carolina. The Foundation is fund ...
Board of Directors from 2000 to 2013. McCoy later served as the Chief Counsel for the
Department of Administration, of which the Commission of Indian Affairs is part.
Department of Transportation
McCoy was appointed Secretary of Transportation by Governor James B. Hunt Jr. in 1999.
He was the first Native American to serve in this position.
As Secretary, he served as the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board of Transportation and was responsible for strategic planning and management of the department and its annual budget. McCoy oversaw the nation's second largest highway system as well as ferry service, mass transit, rail, aviation, and the Division of Motor Vehicles. McCoy managed the state's transportation response to several major disasters including
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd tr ...
, where he worked closely with the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
and state and local agencies to ensure safe evacuations and reentry for North Carolina residents affected by the storm. During his tenure, he supported the creation Safe Roads for Safe Schools, Keep NC Clean and Beautiful, and
ClickIt or Ticket.
Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM)
Governor
Michael F. Easley appointed McCoy as State Budget Director where he served from 2001 to 2008.
During this time, McCoy also served as Secretary to the Council of State and was responsible both for ensuring that the Council fulfilled its statutory responsibilities and for maintaining the official Council Journal for presentation to the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
.
Office of the State Controller
McCoy served as North Carolina's State Controller from 2008 through 2014. While serving as State Controller, McCoy implemented a number of reforms within the Controller's Office and State Government. He worked with
SAS Institute
SAS Institute (or SAS, pronounced "sass") is an American multinational developer of analytics software based in Cary, North Carolina. SAS develops and markets a suite of analytics software ( also called SAS), which helps access, manage, analy ...
as an IT vendor partner to develop the award-winning Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Automated Data Services (CJLEADS) program.
In addition, he oversaw the installation of a $100 million HR/Payroll system, including a data migration project that made available more than thirty years of position and employee human resources data previously located in the state's legacy human resources system. McCoy retired in 2014 from Office of the State Controller after twenty-seven years of service to North Carolina State government.
Awards, honors, and memberships
*
Order of the Long Leaf Pine The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, created in 1964, is an honor that can be granted in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2021, it was believed the Order had been awarded to more than 21,000 people.
The Order
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is ...
*Commissioned a
Kentucky Colonel
Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) is ...
by Governor
Ernie Fletcher
Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...
*Felix S. Cohen Hornbook Award for best paper, Federal Indian Law, American Indian Law Center
Personal life
McCoy is an enrolled member of the
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe language: ''Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag'') is a Native American tribe of Ojibwa mixed heritage people, who would be considered Metis if they were Canadian, based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reser ...
. He is married to Robin Bruce McCoy and has two children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, David T.
1952 births
Living people
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
20th-century Native Americans
Native American lawyers
21st-century Native American politicians
North Carolina lawyers
Politicians from Tacoma, Washington
State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina
University of Georgia alumni
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health alumni