East Tennessee State University

Dr. Steve Cunningham serves as the Assistant Athletic Director of Business Operations. He started in this role in 2018 and manages the budget and fiscal operations for ETSU Athletics.
 
Dr. Cunningham's duties at ETSU focus on budget planning, development, and overseeing departmental budget policies. He serves as the primary point of contact for Athletics to university accounting, procurement, travel, and other offices as needed. He is charged with preparing all athletics and support area budgets, in addition to managing and maintaining various financial reports. 
 
Dr. Cunningham decided to make a career change a little later in life. He received his Bachelor of Science in 2015, where he began an internship with the Athletic Department. After his internship he became a Business Office Graduate Assistant while completing his Master’s degree in 2017. At that time, he was offered a full-time position as a Business Office Coordinator and completed his Doctor of Education degree in 2021. He was soon promoted to Assistant Director for Business Operations before becoming transitioning to his current role.
 
Steve has been married to Betsy for 28 years, and they have two sons, Alex and Jacob, who live in Knoxville, TN. Steve enjoys spending time with family and friends or on the golf course.