One project he remains especially proud of is an internship program developed
Tyler Asher has built a career around connecting people to opportunity — and it’s a mission rooted deeply in his Tennessee Tech University experience.
Asher, a 2014 Tech graduate, now serves as assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, where he oversees the Business Services and Workforce Programs Division, a role he discussed recently on Tech’s College Town Talk podcast.
In the interview, Asher reflected on his professional journey, his continued service to his alma mater and the many ways Tech helped shape his path.
“I think it’s a place that I’m proud to be able to represent both professionally and personally,” Asher said of Tech. “I don’t think people realize what Tennessee Tech can do to your life, if you will be fully invested and give it the opportunity.”
Asher joined the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in 2024 as business and workforce director and was promoted in the fall of 2025. Today, his work takes him across the state as he helps ensure Tennessee has “a skilled workforce and they have a safe place to go to work.”
“It’s a great honor to be able to represent that team and do great big things at the agency,
Asher explained.
Before joining the department, Asher spent four years as director of the Small Business Development Center at the Upper Cumberland Development District, guiding entrepreneurs and employers through challenges that included the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he collaborated closely with Tech initiatives such as the Center for Rural Innovation and the university’s Rural Reimagined Grand Challenge.
“It was a great opportunity,” Asher said. “I got to help a ton of businesses through the whole Upper Cumberland, which was phenomenal because who doesn’t love to help the place that you live and support?”
One project he remains especially proud of is an internship program developed in partnership with Tech that gave students hands-on experience across multiple businesses and industries.
“Those students can say, ‘I’ve worked in these facets of business … and just really gets those students into the workforce,’” Asher said. “We all know that employers want experience.”
A Cookeville native, Asher is candid about his own student journey, joking on the podcast that he once took the “10-year track” to earn his degree. Today, he uses that journey as a teachable moment for his three young children.
“I tell my kids, ‘Hey, I did that because I didn’t really know what I was doing.’ I didn’t take it seriously, but when I went back and graduated with my undergrad in 2014, I took it really seriously,” he explained. “I had a family; I didn’t really have an excuse. I had to get it done.”
Today, Asher brings that same dedication to his service on the Tennessee Tech Alumni Association board of directors, a role that he sees as a natural fit given his family’s deep connection to the university. Asher’s wife is a two-time Tech graduate, and his mother is a longtime Tech staff member.
“Any way that we can always give back to Tech is something that we love doing,” Asher said.
Beyond campus, Asher gives back to the Cookeville community as a board member of CityScape, the nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and preserving the city’s historic downtown. He credits the organization’s work with strengthening the place he calls home.
“It’s really cool to be a part of it and to just contribute to that board,” he said.
Asher is also continuing his own education, pursuing a Master of Professional Studies with a concentration in strategic leadership through Tech’s College of Emerging and Integrative Studies. While he recently paused his coursework to balance growing professional demands, he plans to return.
“I want to finish it,” he said, noting with a laugh that becoming a two-time graduate would put him closer to matching his wife.
Even with a demanding career, community service and graduate studies, Asher finds time for a creative outlet: woodworking. What began as a DIY dining table project has grown into a side business, with custom pieces now in homes and businesses across the country.
“It’s my escape,” Asher said. “It allows me to think … and take something that is a rough piece of lumber and turn it into something that people literally fight over.”
At every turn, Asher credits Tennessee Tech as a constant influence — one he is proud to champion wherever his work takes him, whether he’s meeting with employers across the state, serving fellow alumni or cheering on the next generation of students.
“I’m always proud to represent Tech when I’m in meetings with companies and be able to say, ‘This place can drastically change your business. This place can change your life,” Asher concluded. “It’s totally changed our lives and the opportunities afforded to me.”
Listen to Asher’s full interview on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube or at www.tntech.edu/collegetowntalk.
Photo provided.
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