Dr. Dustin S. Cates (he/him) is a teacher, conductor, researcher, and a proud native of Kansas City, Missouri. He is passionate about building meaningful relationships with people through music and empowering future conductor-teachers to discover and embrace their authentic voice. Dr. Cates serves as Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at Boyer College of Music and Dance, part of the Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts at Temple University. At Temple, he conducts the University Chorale, supervises graduate students, and teaches courses in music education, choral/vocal pedagogy, and choral methods. A frequent clinician and presenter, Dr. Cates regularly leads professional development workshops for music educators and serves as a guest conductor for honor choirs and music festivals throughout the United States. He holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees in choral music education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory and a master’s degree from Baker University. Prior to his appointment at Temple, he served as Artistic Director and Conductor of Heartland Men’s Chorus, Associate Director of Worship Arts at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and taught high school choral music in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Dr. Cates is the former National Repertoire and Resources Chair for Tenor/Bass Choirs for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), past president of the Kansas Choral Directors Association, and currently serves on the ACDA Eastern Region conference leadership team. Dr. Cates considers his most important roles to be husband to Dr. Raymond Cattaneo (medical, not music) and father to their son, Emmaus.