As Berea College’s resident musicologist, he teaches a wide range of courses in music appreciation, American musics, global music, musical theatre, and the Music History sequence for majors and minors. He also serves as Conductor and Artistic Director of Berea College’s award-winning gospel choir, the Black Music Ensemble (BME), and holds affiliate faculty appointments in African & African American Studies and Theatre.

From 2024–2026, alongside his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Stokes served as Director of Berea’s Office of Convocations, providing transitional leadership and artistic direction for the college’s distinguished lecture program and the Stephenson Memorial Concert Series. In collaboration with the Office of Signature Events and under the leadership of the President’s and Provost’s Offices, he helped shape public programming that brought artists, scholars, students, and community members together through shared learning and performance.

A graduate of Berea College, Dr. Stokes earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music before completing graduate degrees in Musicology at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (M.M.) and The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Ph.D.). His research explores the intersections of gospel music, sacredness, and secularity, with a broader interest in how Black musical traditions shape cultural and artistic expression.