UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State announced the appointment of Keith Embray as assistant athletic director for student-athlete welfare and development. Embray brings several varied experiences in higher education to Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics.
Embray will work closely with the Nittany Lions' 800 student-athletes and the staff of the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes. His primary duties will include providing services, information and resources that will enable Penn State student-athletes to successfully transition into the University, his/her sport and the community. Embray also will be responsible for assisting current and former student-athletes in career services.
From San Diego, Embray comes to Penn State after serving the past three years as assistant athletic director-student Services at the University of Central Florida. He begins his duties at Penn State in early September.
"I am thrilled to have Keith join our team," said Charmelle Green, senior associate athletic director for student-athlete performance, health and welfare. "He brings substantial experience to the position. Keith will do an excellent job in providing the education, resources and opportunities that support development of the skills essential to our students' success while at Penn State and after they graduate."
Embray said, "I am truly honored and excited to not only join such a dynamic and diverse group of professionals dedicated to the holistic development of student-athletes, but also to have the opportunity to work at such a storied institution of higher education. Penn State has always embraced that its student-athletes are students first, who also participate in athletics."
Embray has varied experiences in intercollegiate athletics and professional football since graduating from the University of Utah in 1992. In addition to more than 15 years in student-athlete services, Embray played seven years in the National Football League, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League.
At UCF, Embray was responsible for oversight of the life skills program and community service for the Knights' 400 student-athletes. He also served as the director of the Student-Athlete Leadership Institute and was the adviser to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. From 2010-12, Embray served as Notre Dame's associate director for student-athlete welfare and development, where he implemented the life skills program for more than 750 student-athletes and was the sport administrator for the women's rowing program.
Embray previously served four years as a program coordinator and adjunct professor at Westminster College in Utah. He assisted in the administration and mentoring of students in the McNair Scholars Program. He also taught sociology courses with an emphasis on popular culture. While Embray was in Salt Lake City, he also was an on-air radio reporter and sports talk host, including serving as a color analyst for the AFL's Utah Blaze.
Earlier this year, Embray was a leadership development facilitator for the NCAA at its annual Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. He also has served on two NCAA panels discussing the education of student-athletes, coaches and administrators on how to curb campus violence.
Embray graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in history and earned a master's in sociology, with a social psychology emphasis, from Utah. He also earned an MBA from Westminster College. A defensive end, Embray was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference and all-academic honoree, earning Utah's defensive MVP accolades as a senior captain.