Ray Briggs is Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies for the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach, where he teaches courses in jazz history and ethnomusicology. With research interests in the regional study of jazz and the role of place in Black musical expression, Ray is completing a monograph on the history of jazz in Memphis. He remains active as a saxophonist and has performed with the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Benny Green, Stefon Harris, and Roy Hargrove. He served as Director of the Quincy Jones Jazz Camp for several years, mentoring young musicians through immersive performance-based education. He is also co-founder of FEED (Focus on Education, Equity, and Diversity), a forum dedicated to social justice, community engagement, and inclusion in music education. In both scholarship and practice, Ray bridges performance, pedagogy, and cultural history to uplift community-rooted jazz traditions.