Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Randy Mascharka
Football Holds Fourth Annual "Empty The Nest" Event
5/20/2025 10:21:00 AM | Football
Event offered senior players opportunities to network with prominent EMU alumni
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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — As part of its commitment to building champions on the field and in life, the Eastern Michigan University football program played host to its fourth annual "Empty The Nest" event Friday, May 16, at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti. The event was held to offer senior student-athletes face-to-face time with numerous EMU alumni who are now leaders in different businesses and athletics-related professions.
The event was created with the intention of opening a natural line of communication between the mentors and student-athletes. Each player got the opportunity to participate in two, 25-minute networking sessions with the mentors who most closely aligned with their specific fields of interest. Conversations ranged from the do's and don'ts of job interviews to life after football, advice for getting into a certain business, and so much more.
After hearing each mentor introduce themselves, the attendees were broken into different table groups for conversation over dinner. Following dinner service, players spent 25 minutes with mentors, before rotating to a second session. A 30-minute social followed to ensure each student-athlete could converse with each mentor, even those outside their field of interest. By the end of the evening, each student-athlete had time with each mentor.
Mentors were specifically asked to participate based on feedback from student-athletes on the types of businesses and professions they are interested in pursuing.
Full List of 2025 'Empty The Nest' Mentors
Brandon Downs • Senior Vice President, Real Estate Strategy - LoanDepot
Mike Glass • Offensive Assistant - Eastern Michigan Football
Phil Incarnati • President/CEO - McLaren Health
Chris Kaufman • Entrepreneur - StockX
Sean Kurtz • President - Michigan Rose Construction
Josh Landon • TV/Journalist - Fox2 News
Matt Lige • Law Enforcement - EMU
Stephen Nofs • First Vice President, Senior Financial Advisor - Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Keith Page • Application Resident Engineer - General Motors
Kyle Rachwal • Commercial Fire Sales Manager - Johnson Controls
Cortland Selman • Regional Business Manager - Nova Eye Medical
Greg Sheldon • Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor - Morgan Stanley
Ben Thayer • Secondary Math Teacher - Ernest W. Seaholm High School
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — As part of its commitment to building champions on the field and in life, the Eastern Michigan University football program played host to its fourth annual "Empty The Nest" event Friday, May 16, at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti. The event was held to offer senior student-athletes face-to-face time with numerous EMU alumni who are now leaders in different businesses and athletics-related professions.
The event was created with the intention of opening a natural line of communication between the mentors and student-athletes. Each player got the opportunity to participate in two, 25-minute networking sessions with the mentors who most closely aligned with their specific fields of interest. Conversations ranged from the do's and don'ts of job interviews to life after football, advice for getting into a certain business, and so much more.
After hearing each mentor introduce themselves, the attendees were broken into different table groups for conversation over dinner. Following dinner service, players spent 25 minutes with mentors, before rotating to a second session. A 30-minute social followed to ensure each student-athlete could converse with each mentor, even those outside their field of interest. By the end of the evening, each student-athlete had time with each mentor.
Mentors were specifically asked to participate based on feedback from student-athletes on the types of businesses and professions they are interested in pursuing.
Full List of 2025 'Empty The Nest' Mentors
Brandon Downs • Senior Vice President, Real Estate Strategy - LoanDepot
Mike Glass • Offensive Assistant - Eastern Michigan Football
Phil Incarnati • President/CEO - McLaren Health
Chris Kaufman • Entrepreneur - StockX
Sean Kurtz • President - Michigan Rose Construction
Josh Landon • TV/Journalist - Fox2 News
Matt Lige • Law Enforcement - EMU
Stephen Nofs • First Vice President, Senior Financial Advisor - Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Keith Page • Application Resident Engineer - General Motors
Kyle Rachwal • Commercial Fire Sales Manager - Johnson Controls
Cortland Selman • Regional Business Manager - Nova Eye Medical
Greg Sheldon • Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor - Morgan Stanley
Ben Thayer • Secondary Math Teacher - Ernest W. Seaholm High School
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