Elizabeth Cawein is a music advocate, strategist and scholar. Across all three roles she is focused on centering working musicians as cultural assets. Elizabeth founded Music Export Memphis, a first-of-its-kind nonprofit export office for music, in 2016 following a decade in music publicity and marketing, and in 2023 began supporting other U.S. cities in building their own innovative place-based music programs. Elizabeth is a DJ (WYXR 91.7FM Memphis), a professor (Mike Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes College), and a student (PhD, School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, University of Memphis). She serves on the board of directors for Folk Alliance International and the Public Sector & Cultural Policy Committee of Grantmakers in the Arts, is a past Recording Academy Memphis chapter board adviser, and a sought-after speaker and thought partner. Her TED Talk on music cities has 1.4 million views and counting.