May 6, 2015
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By Jenna Marina
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF assistant athletics director for student services Keith Embray spends his days developing student-athletes holistically. Recently, he was invited to take part in national discussions at two specialized events geared toward that holistic approach.
Embray played an integral role at both the NCAA and NFL Life Skills Education and Professional Development Summit, held in Louisville, Ky. (Feb. 19-22), and the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, held locally in Orlando (April 9-12).
Embray has served in his post at UCF since November 2012. He assists in the development, coordination, and implementation of programming for student-athletes in the following key areas: personal development, leadership development and career preparation.
Embray is a former NCAA Division I student-athlete, playing football for Utah where he was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference and all-academic selection as a defensive end. He went on to play seven years of professional football in the Canadian Football League, Arena Football League and National Football League.
He was a natural fit for the NCAA and NFL Life Skills Education and Professional Development Summit, which is a joint partnership between the NCAA and the NFL in an effort to discuss current hot topics on campus with student-athletes.
The summit was packed with strategies to improve student-athlete development and preparation as well as networking between life skills administrators and coaches.
The life skills administrators at the summit had numerous roundtable discussions centered on idea sharing and hot topics regarding financial literacy, athlete mental health, transition programs and more. In breakout sessions, they learned of different programs they could use for athlete development and ways to enhance life balance.
"I felt really good about UCF having a presence at the summit," Embray said. "It allows us to show what we're trying to do here at UCF and the people that Todd (Stansbury) has brought in to try to change the landscape and our culture a little bit."
Two months later at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, Embray served as a facilitator in the daily exercises, which involved professionals and student-athletes from Divisions I, II and III.
During a three-day training seminar in February in Indianapolis, Embray was exposed to the curriculum he would be presenting along with his partner Kelsey Meyers, an assistant compliance coordinator at Wayne State in Michigan.
In April, they put their preparation into practice, interacting with their groups about topics such as leadership characteristics, emotional intelligence, values, communication and leading/being led.
"It's an honor to be called to the table when you look at the number of colleges and universities and the people the NCAA could invite," Embray said. "I'm very happy to know that they value my opinion and recognize that it's not just about graduation. Student-athletes need to be holistically developed."
Embray said his work is his passion. Growing up in a military household, he subscribes to the mentality of no man left behind. He hopes that when people say UCF, the Knights PRIDE and life skill development programs will be synonymous with some of the best in the country.
"If we can establish a model here for people to want to emulate, and know that I got to play a role in that," Embray said, "that's what drives me."