Dad. Coach. Neighbor.
Sit down with Matt Shoemaker for five minutes and you'll see what everyone at the ballfield already knows: he's a teammate first.
“When you believe in a community, I think you have a responsibility to help make it stronger.”
— Matt Shoemaker
Michigan, start to finish
Matt grew up in Michigan. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where he played baseball. He is a member of the EMU Hall of Fame and serves on the Champions Advisory Board for EMU Athletics.
Sixteen seasons of professional baseball
Matt played 16 years of professional baseball, 10 of them in the major leagues. What he took from it wasn't the stat line. It was how teams work.
For almost a decade he was a player representative for the Major League Baseball Players Association, working extensively with the union and in collective bargaining negotiations. He learned that great teams succeed when people are supported, everyone has a voice, and you work toward something bigger than yourself.
Three years in the classroom
While he was in the minor leagues, Matt spent three years as a substitute teacher. He knows what teachers face every day because he's stood at the front of the room.
Home to Saline
Matt and his wife were born and raised in Michigan, and when they decided where to raise their four kids — all 11 and younger — they chose Saline for its schools, its community, and the opportunities it could give them.
Today Matt coaches youth baseball, basketball, football, and soccer, and is deeply involved in the community. Most weeks you'll find him on a field or a court somewhere in Saline.
What Matt brings to the board
The negotiating table. Almost a decade as an MLBPA player representative, working in collective bargaining. That experience will help foster strong relationships between teachers and administration and encourage successful negotiations — with the shared goal of helping our students thrive.
The classroom. Three years as a substitute teacher. He has seen the job from the inside.
The dugout and the sideline. He coaches four youth sports and sees Saline's kids and families every week, not just at election time.
Join the team.
Yard signs, volunteers, and neighbors who want to talk.