Austin, a native Texan, holds a bachelor's in business administration from Bryan College. Before coming to ChaTech, he served as the Chief of Staff for The Company Lab (CO.LAB), where he maintained operational excellence for the organization through program, project and process management, including managing and leading human resource, grant management, financial, budgets, human capital and strategic processes. Austin also served as the Director of Talent Engagement at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw Chattanooga Chamber strategies for developing and retaining talent, including facilitating Leadership Chattanooga, Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association, Young Professionals of Chattanooga, Protégé Chattanooga, and ChattaNewbies.

He serves as past president of the Rotaract Club of Chattanooga, a member of the Diversity Task Force for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga, co-chair of the Advisory Council for Leadership Tennessee NEXT, and was a board member for ChaTech before stepping into the role for ChaTech. 

Austin is a graduate of Leadership Hamilton County Schools program, where he experienced Hamilton County Schools in a unique way, Leadership Tennessee NEXT, focused on Tennessee’s existing and emerging leaders and spanning geographic and industry boundaries, and he completed ArtsBuild’s Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute, designed for individuals who share a passion for advancing and engaging with the arts in the community.