Since 2009, Bill Pelto has served as dean of the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, following eighteen years at the Ithaca College School of Music, first as a music theory faculty member and then as associate dean, He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Yale, an M.A. in music theory from San Francisco State, and a Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests have focused on music theory pedagogy, especially related to the takadimi rhythm solfege system, and he has published in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy and Music Perception. A Seattle native, his professional activities also include numerous musical theater conducting engagements with the University of Alaska Summer Fine Arts Camp, San Francisco State University, the Hangar Theatre, and Cornell University. At Ithaca, he coordinated the School of Music’s exchange program with the University of Limerick, and he co-chaired the College’s 2008 Middle States reaccreditation self-study. At Appalachian, he chairs the University Academic Assessment Committee, co-facilitates Arts @ Appalachian, a consortium of arts leaders on campus, and serves as an ex-officio member of An Appalachian Summer Festival’s board of directors. Current focuses at the Hayes School of Music include a long-term initiative toward expanding and renovating the Broyhill Music Center, the ongoing University-wide capital campaign, and the Hayes School marketing and recruiting plan.