Abby White joins College as development director

Abby White

Abby White recently joined Middle Tennessee State University as development director for the College of Media and Entertainment. Previously, she was staff editor with Nashville-based media company SouthComm Inc., where she split editorial duties between the Nashville Scene, Nfocus magazine and the Nashville Post. As development director for the rebranded College of Media and Entertainment, formerly known as the College of Mass Communication, White is excited to work with faculty and students who will shape the way we create and consume media. She will utilize her extensive network to cultivate relationships between the college and industry professionals in middle Tennessee and beyond.

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, White began her career in the entertainment industry as an account executive at WRLT Lightning 100, followed by a six-year stint as music editor at Performing Songwriter Magazine. She then served as communications manager for Leadership Music, and subsequently as a development manager with global research, consulting and technology firm The Advisory Board Company. She joined SouthComm in 2010 as editor-in-chief of Her Nashville Magazine, launching sister publications in Cincinnati and Kansas City. During her tenure at SouthComm, she was also a staff writer for The City Paper and founding editor of syndicated women’s column Vodka Yonic, named the nation’s “Best Column” by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) in 2014.

White served on the Americana Music Association’s board of directors from 2006-2008. She was project manager for the installation of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame digital archive, a project spearheaded by Ken Paulson, dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, housed in the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Her first book, 100 Things To Do In Nashville Before You Die, was published in 2014. She remains a contributing editor with the Nashville Scene and continues to write for various outlets.

White assumed her new position Aug. 4. She may be reached at abby.white@mtsu.edu.