Meet the Woman Behind Megandi's Dream:

Ms. Endia M. Decordova, MBA

Founder of Megandi's Dream

As a mission-driven fund development and communications executive, Ms. DeCordova has raised millions of dollars to support institutions in building sustainable cultures of philanthropy.  Widely recognized for her innovative community engagement and outreach initiatives, she has designed and executed a wide array of successful fundraising, public relations and marketing-communications programs in the higher education and non-profit arenas.

Ms. DeCordova is the founder of Megandi’s Dream girl’s leadership and empowerment program. She is a motivational speaker, fundraising executive and educator who believes in the power of mentoring and has a passion for developing girls to grow into strong women who lead and positively contribute to their community.  Through a series of interactive experiences, girls will learn the fundamentals of recognizing and embracing their full potential and inner strength, while supporting other girls through a shared journey of sisterhood.  The empowerment program also focuses on the keys to creating successful life strategies, personal branding and goal attainment.

Ms. DeCordova is the Director of Development for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Connecticut Foundation. In this role, she serves as the chief of staff for the Senior VP of Development and leads special projects to generate philanthropic support for the University of Connecticut, one of the top public research universities in the nation.  Formerly the Vice President of Advancement at Mitchell College in New London, Conn., Ms. DeCordova led the institution’s shift to a comprehensive strategic approach to fundraising, which included prospect management, personal and leadership gift solicitation, annual fund, grants and stewardship. Previously, she served as the Assistant Vice President of Development for Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J., where she developed a $2.8 million fundraising plan to support the university’s strategic priorities. Prior to joining Georgian Court, Ms. DeCordova served as Dean of Institutional Advancement and Community Engagement for Manchester Community College in Manchester, Conn., raising over $14 million for the institution, increasing the Foundation’s endowment, and leading the campus through its first-ever comprehensive capital campaign. 

Ms. DeCordova, who counsels nonprofits in developing effective fundraising, event management, and marketing communication strategies, is the recipient of the 2018 100 Women of Color award. She was also named the 2016 Educator of the Year by the West Indian Foundation, Hartford, Conn. Ms. DeCordova is a 2015 Hartford Business Journal 40 under 40 award recipient. She is the former-chair of Connecticut’s chapter of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network. She also served as a member of the board of directors for the National Council on Black American Affairs (NCBAA) Northeast Region Board for the American Association of Community Colleges and past-president of the Public Relations Society of America-Connecticut Valley Chapter (PRSA-CVC).

Ms. DeCordova holds a master of business administration degree from the University of Hartford, Barney School of Business, West Hartford, Conn., and a bachelor of science degree in communications from Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD. She resides in Windsor, Conn. with her 15-year-old son.