Rusty Gaston Inducted into 2023 TICUA Hall of Fame

Belmont alumnus and trustee Rusty Gaston was named to the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s 2023 Hall of Fame class. In its fourth year, the TICUA Hall of Fame was established to honor distinguished alumni of its 34 member institutions, while highlighting their contributions to our state, nation and world. Honorees exemplify the value of the liberal arts education and how it can be used in a variety of career fields.

“Congratulations to the 24 members of the 2023 class of the TICUA Hall of Fame! Our institutions purposefully mold leaders each and every day and we are honored to share many of their stories with you,” said TICUA President Claude Pressnell.

Gaston, who leads the Sony Music Publishing Nashville team, joins 23 others in the 2023 class including Tennessee’s first female Speaker of the House, a civil rights pioneer who integrated SEC varsity basketball, a world-renowned opera singer, business executives, and many others. 

Moving to Nashville from small town Texas in the mid 90s to attend Belmont, Gaston has been a dream-chaser from the start.

“I grew up in a town of barely a thousand people. I never met a soul in the music business,” said Gaston. “It was nothing more than I’m a kid that loved music who wanted to chase this down. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody if you’re willing to put in the work and be nice to people.”

In 2006, Gaston started THiS Music with songwriters Tim Nichols and Connie Harrington, growing the business into one of the most successful publishing houses on Music Row. In 2020, he stepped into a new role as the CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville where he leads all creative operations, including signing new writers and developing strategies to promote the Nashville catalog. In 2023, Gaston was named Billboard Magazine’s Country Power Players Executive of the Year.

Gaston is a longtime volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters Middle TN, a member of the Country Music Association, and a board member for both Belmont University and the Academy of Country Music.