His tireless service to Lafayette has spanned many areas
It was no surprise that Ed McNally ’65 received the George T. Woodring ’19 Alumni Association Service Award in 2005. He is a two-term member of Lafayette Leadership Council, class president, executive committee member of the New York City alumni chapter, and alumni admissions representative.
“It is the opportunity to interact with other members of the Lafayette community including alumni, students, faculty, and administrators that motivates me to volunteer,” he says. “Also, the opportunity to meet alumni at chapter-sponsored events in New York City is special for my wife, Glenna, and me.”
As managing director of Grammer and Co., a New York City-based management consulting firm, McNally has hosted over 20 Lafayette student interns. Since 2001, he has provided students with summer internships and three- and six-week internships between semesters. “The college’s proximity to New York City allows students to come in and work with us as interns for a day each week of the official school year as well,” he notes.
He and his wife have hosted events welcoming incoming first-year students for the past two summers.
McNally believes volunteer activity is one of the most important ways the College can keep alumni engaged once they leave the Hill.
“It is essential for the College to connect as much as possible with alumni, and there are few better ways to accomplish this than encouraging volunteers for Lafayette-related organizations,” he says.
At Grammer and Co., McNally provides clients with risk management, market management, and strategy planning advice. He also conducts customer satisfaction surveys for clients such as the U.S. operations of global financial institutions and U.S. banks.
An English graduate, McNally believes his undergraduate education prepared him well for his career in business.
“It gave me good skills in working with and meeting people,” he says. “My writing and analytical skills were honed as an undergraduate and have stood me in good stead in the business world.”