TOWSON, Md. – The Total Tiger Program (TTP) has been a staple of Towson athletics for more than a decade. Now, under the direction of Dahne Brown-Boyer, the development program gives student-athletes opportunities to engage and interact with the Greater Baltimore region through community service and career readiness programs – specific to each class to equip student-athletes with vital skills for successful careers after graduation.  

"It is making sure student-athletes develop outside of their sport," said Brown-Boyer, Towson's director of student-athlete experience since November 2023. "Sometimes they forget there is more to them, so the Total Tiger Program helps them understand that there is more to them than just scoring goals and winning races. Networking is one of the ways we do that."

Within the last week, Brown-Boyer spearheaded a pair of "Networking Nights" inside SECU Arena.  

On October 15, "Alumni Networking Night" – sponsored by the Tiger Athletic Fund (TAF) – was an event where seniors or graduate student-athletes had the opportunity to network with 16 former Towson student-athletes in hopes of establishing mentor relationship, which can, and has, led to internships and career opportunities.

The alumni mentors in attendance featured 16 former student-athletes, who graduated between 1971 to 2022 – represented nine sports – and brought a wealth of experience from different avenues.

• Michael Brashears '12, Men's Lacrosse
• Meredith Budner-Plack '11, Swim & Dive
• Casey Cegles '09, Football
• Matt Death '06, Track & Field
• Bryan Fitzpatrick '05, Football
• Christina Ghani-Smith '08, Gymnastics
• Duane Herr '10, Baseball
• John Hulede '17, Men's Golf
• Crystal Johnson '22, Track & Field
• P.D. Moore '05, Football
• Karl Nieberlein '95, Football
• Alex Parker '20, Baseball
• Eric Peterson '95, Football
• Keith Runk '83, Men's Lacrosse
• Lauren Volk-Hoskins '98, Field Hockey & Women's Lacrosse
• John Yingling '71, Football

"I thought it was really beneficial," said senior volleyball player Erin Brothers, who will graduate in December with a communications degree. "With those kind of events, you get what you put into it. Our table had a lot of questions prepared and we were interacting with the alumni, so we got to take a lot of valuable information from them. It was a great experience – talking to new people and hearing about their experience in transitioning form being a student-athlete into the real world."

Five nights later was "Art of Networking Night" featuring Sara Harrison, Towson University's Assistant Director of Health & Wellness Career Education. Harrison's pitch to the sophomore class included practicing a professional handshake and formatting an elevator pitch. After the session, the student-athletes used what they learned in a professional networking setting.

"We always talk about student-athletes having a story," added Brown-Boyer. "Events like this teach them how to communicate their stories."