With more than two decades of experience spanning higher education, municipal governance, and national policy, Dr. Blaine leads the University in its mission of supporting and driving national development.
He previously served in Washington, D.C., as Senior Executive and Director of the Centers for Leadership, Education, Advancement, and Development (LEAD) and Municipal Practice at the National League of Cities. Under his leadership, more than $55 million in grant funding was secured and more than 1,000 cities were supported through the Local Infrastructure Hub, directing nearly half a billion dollars to underserved communities across the United States.
Prior executive and academic appointments include serving as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Jackson, Mississippi. In this role he cultivated economic mobility, early childhood education, broadband expansion, and climate resilience initiatives. He also raised more than $8 million in private funding for climate resilience and community wellbeing.
In academia, Dr. Blaine served as Associate Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Tougaloo College, an historically black university, where he redesigned the general education curriculum to foster innovation and student autonomy. As Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Cyberlearning at Jackson State University, another historically black institution, he led a 90% reduction in textbook costs through the development of high-quality digital content. His work has encompassed curriculum transformation, digital learning innovation, and successful accreditation reaffirmation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Dr. Blaine is a TEDx speaker, Fulbright Senior Lecturer, and Apple Distinguished Educator. A gifted musical conductor and a lifelong advocate for the arts, he has led international music programmes and performed at the inauguration of US President Barack Obama.
He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, a Master of Music degree in Performance from the Catholic University of America, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from Indiana University.