UM Alum Receives CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award
Feb. 29, 2024
MISSOULA – Founding member of the University of Montana Entertainment Management Program (UMEM), Ron Baird, was posthumously honored with the Country Music Association (CMA) Touring Lifetime Achievement Award this February.
The award is given to an individual who has positively impacted and contributed to the growth of touring throughout the years. It honors an individual who has had an unprecedented historical impact on country music fans and the industry alike, and whose presence will have a long-term positive impact on the genre and CMA for generations to come. Baird is one of only six people to have ever received this award.
The Big Fork, Montana native and UM alum was one of 10 founding members who launched the UMEM program at the College of Business in 2001. The certificate program covers the entertainment business, including music, television, film, sports, live performance, literary and visual arts. The UMEM program also provides students with the opportunity to learn from top professionals in the industry in a relaxed classroom environment. This one-of-a-kind program offers an incredible opportunity for students looking to break into the entertainment industry.
After starting his career at The Jim Halsey Agency and William Morris Agency, Baird started the Nashville office for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1991. In his 13 years as a CAA agent, Baird oversaw the careers of Clint Black, Billy Dean, Jennifer Hanson, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Barbara Mandrell, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Joe Nichols, Olivia Newton John, Little Texas, Jamie O'Neal, Julie Roberts and Shania Twain, among many others. Baird served as chairman of the board for the CMA in 2003 and was president of the CMA in 2002. He was also an associate board member of W.O. Smith and an alumnus of Leadership Music. Voted Country Agent of the Year for three years (1996 - 1998) by Performance Magazine, he was named Third Coast Agent of the Year in 1999 by Pollstar. Baird retired in 2004.
Agent and co-nead of CAA’s Nashville office Marc Dennis, who is also Baird’s stepson, accepted the CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award on his behalf at the awards ceremony on Feb. 12 in Nashville.
To honor Baird, a video was played to share a bit about his impact on the music industry, with cameos from Clint Black, Rob Light, John Huie, Rod Essig, Ed Benson, Keith Miller, Martina McBride and Shania Twain.
When Dennis spoke, he mentioned the people that Baird would have thanked, and talked about the wisdom he was known for sharing.
“I think his lasting legacy will be the people he encouraged to get into our business,” Dennis said. “It was hard to figure out how to break into our business back then. Ron was incredibly generous with his time.”