I am a Professor of Music Education in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, where I have been serving as the Director for Music Education for the past fifteen years. My teaching, research and administrative career is focused on the development of music and arts education that is relevant, balanced, and inclusive of both the classical and folk music traditions. I a member of the 2014 ACE Fellows Class, an emerging leaders program of the American Council on Education. I hold an appointment as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg through 2021. In 2010, I was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for her work with the Freedom and Folk Song traditions in South Africa, where I lectured and conducted research and community service in partnership with the University of Zululand and the University of the Free State. I is am 2007 recipient of the Digital Sound Archives/Appalachian Music Fellowship of Berea College. I am now continuing to serve with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Cultural Affairs in the roles of Mandela Washington Fellowship Mentor for Young African Leaders, Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Awardee and Fulbright Specialist for curriculum development and artist/scholar in residence in South Africa.