Reed was born and raised in the Upstate of South Carolina. His original dream was to be a band director, and he earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Furman University, Greenville, SC, in 1996. After teaching in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) schools for a few years, he moved to the Chattanooga area of Tennessee. Having developed an interest in information technology, he completed an A.A.S degree in Network Management from Chattanooga State Community College (Chattanooga, TN) in 2009, going to work in the e-commerce field prior to completing the credential. In 2010, he found his way into Higher Education, taking on the role of Enrollment Services Technical Specialist at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, TN, providing functional/technical support to the Admissions, Records, and Financial Aid offices. After relocating back to Upstate SC in 2013, he served as Systems Manager for the Financial Aid Office at the University of SC – Upstate in Spartanburg, SC, later being promoted to Assistant Director. In 2016, he returned to TN and took over the position of Director of Financial Aid at Chattanooga State, where he worked until May of 2025. Along with his professional work, Reed has participated in volunteer organizations such as TASFAA, SCASFAA, SASFAA, NASFAA, and the Ellucian Advisory Board, as well as maintaining his Arts Education background by staying active in musical theater as pianist and Musical Director. His primary source of exercise is walking his young shelter rescue, Finley (at least 2 miles per day!).