Melody Cope was appointed Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at St. Joseph’s College (L.I.) on July 1, 2020, bringing more than 16 years of experience in NCAA intercollegiate athletics administration to the Golden Eagles. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation. Prior to her appointment, Cope served as the college’s Associate Athletic Director for Operations and Community Programs, a position she held after joining St. Joseph’s in September 2016.
As Associate Athletic Director, Cope worked closely with the Director of Athletics on daily operations, developed and managed online registration for community programs and camps, oversaw the Outdoor Field Complex, and served as the sport administrator for men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, and women’s volleyball.
Before joining St. Joseph’s, Cope spent 12 years at Dowling College, serving in several administrative roles before being named Vice President for Athletics in 2013. During her tenure, she served on the President’s Cabinet and participated in numerous institutional committees, including Strategic Planning, Emergency Response, Student Success, Behavioral Intervention, and the Judicial Board. She also co-chaired Dowling College’s Middle States Review Committee.
Cope played a key role in the athletic department’s gender equity review process, which led to the addition of women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, women’s field hockey, and men’s cross country as NCAA-sponsored varsity sports. She also organized educational workshops to enhance the student-athlete experience and helped lead community engagement initiatives, including Make-A-Wish fundraising efforts that raised more than $15,000 annually and Keep Islip Clean events.
Under Cope’s leadership, Dowling’s athletic programs made five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and captured four East Coast Conference (ECC) championships. The department also produced more than 80 ECC All-Conference selections, 12 All-Americans, seven Scholar-Athletes, and six Coach of the Year honorees.
Since becoming Director of Athletics at St. Joseph’s, Cope has overseen a period of continued competitive success across multiple Golden Eagles programs. The men’s and women’s cross country teams captured ECAC championships in 2020-21, followed by another women’s cross country ECAC championship in 2021-22. The men’s volleyball program has won five consecutive Skyline Conference championships, from 2021-22 through 2025-26, while baseball captured three consecutive Skyline Conference championships from 2021-22 through 2023-24. In 2025-26, both the men’s and women’s soccer programs also won Skyline Conference championships.
The Golden Eagles have also made numerous NCAA Tournament appearances during Cope’s tenure, with men’s volleyball, baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, and both men’s and women’s soccer represented in national postseason competition. A notable highlight came in 2022, when the men’s volleyball team defeated No. 6 Southern Virginia in the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 4 Stevens in four sets.
In addition to her administrative responsibilities at Dowling, Cope served on several East Coast Conference and NCAA committees, including the NCAA Division II Membership and Regional Advisory Committees. She also served as a facilitator for the NCAA Career in Sports Forum.
Prior to her administrative career, Cope coached Division I softball at St. John’s University from 1999 to 2004 and at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1991 to 1997. In 2014, she was inducted into the UNC Greensboro Athletic Hall of Fame.
Cope earned a Master of Arts in Physical Education from Gardner-Webb University in 1991 and a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 1987, where she was a member of the softball team.
