Since joining NMAAM in 2022, he has advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, and now oversees four departments, music industry relations, curatorial, education and engagement, and digital and technology, carrying responsibility for how NMAAM’s collection, scholarship, programming, and artist relationships reach audiences across the country and around the world.
His work centers on a simple conviction: the story of African American music belongs to everyone, and a visitor should not have to stand on Fifth and Broadway to experience it. In that spirit, he leads the museum’s digital platform development, its traveling and touring exhibition strategy, and the national and international partnerships that extend NMAAM’s reach. He also directs the museum’s relationships across the music industry, building the institutional partnerships with labels, artists, and estates that keep the museum at the center of the culture it preserves.
Dr. Evans has generated $25MM+ across cultural and educational institutions through innovative advancement strategies. Under his leadership, NMAAM has sustained transformative partnerships with corporations including Amazon, Nissan, and Pepsi, and established the artist engagement protocols that have brought A-list talent including 50 Cent, Jon Batiste, and George Clinton to the museum. He created NMAAM’s “Where Legends Live Forever” tagline and brand strategy. He was recognized as Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2024 and NFocus Magazine’s Fresh Faces of Philanthropy in 2026. His artistic foundation as a former saxophone player, drum major, lyricist, and stage performer provides authentic cultural authority in rooms full of recording artists and industry professionals.
Dr. Evans’ journey from Muskegon Heights, Michigan to becoming the first Paul Quinn College graduate at an Ivy League institution reflects his commitment to empowering communities through servant leadership. In May 2026, he earned his Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership from Indiana University as a member of the program’s inaugural cohort, combining academic rigor with an authentic passion for preserving African American musical traditions.