ETSU faculty have been appointed to Tennessee’s Music Advisory Council, helping shape statewide strategy for music, culture and economic development.
Two East Tennessee State University faculty members are helping shape the future of music in Tennessee, and the appointments signal something bigger than two seats at a table.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee appointed Drs. Stephen Marshall and Ron Roach to the newly formed Tennessee Music Advisory Council, a statewide body charged with building sustainable music advocacy organizations, connecting regional communities and driving economic opportunity from Tennessee’s rich musical heritage.
For ETSU, the appointments are another marker of the university’s expanding role as the Flagship of Appalachia — not just preserving the region’s culture, but also converting it into lasting economic impact.
Two pillars, one statewide mission
Marshall is a professor in the Department of Media and Communication and serves as chief marketing officer for the ETSU Research Corporation, the university’s commercialization and economic development arm, focused on translating research and regional assets into real-world impact. Roach is chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies, which includes the renowned Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program, and director of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services.
The council is composed of community leaders and stakeholders drawn from seven regions across Tennessee, each of which has completed or is completing a comprehensive Music Ecosystem Feasibility Study. Members will serve two consecutive two-year terms and participate in working groups focused on consolidating regional music data, identifying resources and delivering recommendations directly to the governor’s office.
From music census to economic strategy
The appointments align directly with the ETSU Research Corporation’s push to convert Appalachian music into measurable economic impact through the Appalachian Music Collective, a hub designed to generate economic, tourism and workforce outcomes from the region’s creative economy.
The initiative grew directly from a music census sponsored by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission.
Marshall’s dual role spans academic research and the commercialization infrastructure of the Research Corporation, making him a particularly strategic voice on the council. The Research Corporation is already building the connective tissue between creative economy and economic development, with the Appalachian Music Collective positioned as one of its anchor initiatives alongside the 2681 Accelerator and ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook innovation hub.
“Our region’s music has always been an economic engine — we just haven’t always had the infrastructure to fully capture and amplify that value,” Marshall said. “The Tennessee Music Advisory Council is an opportunity to build that infrastructure at scale, and ETSU is uniquely positioned to help lead that work.”
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Appalachian voices on a national stage
“ETSU’s commitment to the arts is rooted in our responsibility to celebrate and elevate the voices of Appalachia,” Roach said. “Through programs like Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies, we are not only preserving the rich cultural heritage of the region but also showcasing its vibrancy and relevance to audiences worldwide.”
That program has been doing exactly that for more than four decades, and its reach extends well beyond campus.
ETSU’s Bluegrass program has produced a long list of alumni who are making their mark in the music industry, including Kenny Chesney, Tim Stafford, Becky Buller, Barry Bales and Amythyst Kiah. The program is the leading program of its kind, with alumni, faculty and students being nominated for more than 380 music industry awards, winning more than 130, including seven Grammys and 72 International Bluegrass Music Association awards.
“When the governor looks to Tennessee for voices who understand both the cultural depth and the economic potential of music in this state, ETSU faculty are at that table,” said ETSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle. “These appointments reflect deliberate strength in both Appalachian Studies and applied research.”
