Dear Members and Friends of The College Music Society:

I offer greetings from Missoula on this first day of my full-time service in the position of executive director. As CMS President Keith Ward noted in his July message, this is a time of significant change—certainly for the organization and me. Undoubtedly, many of you are navigating changes of your own this summer, and I hope they are bringing you as much personal and professional invigoration as this time has brought me. It is now just one month since I moved out of my office on the Appalachian State University campus, in effect leaving my life as an academic, at least one with a direct singular tie to a university or college. For the first time since 1976, I no longer have a valid campus identification card.

The NAMM President’s Innovation Award supports individuals who are enrolled in college and university music and/or music business programs and are preparing for careers in the music products industry. The Innovation Award seeks to support individuals who express commitment and aptitude for business leadership and innovation in the music products industry.