An Interview with Pat Morris
The New Executive Director of the IBMA
Photo by Casey Campbell
After an impressive run, the Executive Director of the IBMA, Paul Schiminger, has stepped down and Pat Morris has taken over the reins as the post-pandemic world plays out. Morris is well-aware of what he is walking into and has the talent and experience to make a difference as the new Executive Director.
Being the head of a musical organization in a genre as unique as bluegrass music is a challenge. Dealing with a membership that has different ideas, desires and goals can be complicated. Working to help musicians make a living in a competitive post-Covid landscape is essential, yet continuing to promote the music to a younger generation is also key. And, overseeing a successful IBMA Week in the city of Raleigh where the streets are closed off and tens of thousands of people are in town to watch live bluegrass music and doing it with a very small staff is hard work.
When it comes to the IBMA, and bluegrass music in general, of course, there always seems to be a need for an executive to have experience in running a large organization while at the same time having a true connection to and love for the music itself. Both of those aspects are found in Pat Morris.
Here we will introduce you to Morris and his life story and path to this important position as well as his connection to bluegrass music and his ideas for moving the genre forward. Morris graciously gave Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine an interview just two months before the 2021 IBMA Week begins in September, marking a return to in-person events in Raleigh.
As a kid, Morris lived in Cincinnati, OH, where his father was a History Professor at the University of Cincinnati. Eventually his family moved to the Williamsburg area of southern Virginia. It was there in the Old Dominion State that Morris was exposed to bluegrass music while in high school. While taking guitar classes and writing songs in high school, his favorite music was the folk rock of Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Gordon Lightfoot, and Dan Fogelberg before some important friendships were made while working a summer job.
“I had my first job at the Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg,” said Morris. “I worked in the BBQ Pits restaurant that was close to the live bluegrass music show that ran every hour. There, I was introduced to the Wahoo Review, who were a New Grass type-band. All the performers would come over and eat at the BBQ Pits during their breaks, so I got to know them, we became friends, and I was turned onto bluegrass music by them. The great Dobro player Gene Wooten was with the group then. Another bluegrass band that played at the park was led by a Jim Lauderdale. I heard this new sound, and I was hooked. I have carried it with me around the world ever since.”
Morris formed and played guitar in a few groups while in high school and college, including Lazy Luther’s Armadillo Band, which played everything from bluegrass and country to songs by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Later, after Morris graduated from Christopher Newport University, he got on a bus a week after getting his diploma and entered the Marine Corps Officers Program in Quantico, VA. He became an Artillery Officer and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for two years and experienced various assignments throughout Asia. After returning to San Diego to end his stint in the Marines, Morris entered Grad School at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, which was fortunately another hotbed of bluegrass music.
Now, with a Master of Public Administration in hand, Morris was chosen to be one of 200 graduates nationwide to join the prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship Program and he soon moved to Washington DC. There, in this fast-track federal government program, Morris found himself working in the Pentagon for the Secretary of Defense as well as on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate. He then moved on to more government work as a regulator for the Dept. of Defense and the Dept. of Agriculture. While running a multi-state office for the USDA in Minnesota, he had a conversation with a friend in Kansas about running an association.
“My friend said, ‘Associations are a mix of events and continuing education and advocating for members and communication,’” said Morris. “It was this great variety of duties. So, I moved to Kansas to become the CEO of my first association, and I have now been running associations ever since. Since then, I have been an association executive – working in technology and standards in the retail industry, emerging information standards with leading tech companies, and non-profits focused on business – credit unions and small businesses involved with accounts receivables.
“What I found in my association career is that while the issues change, the core mission of different associations is similar; as in you get consensus on what your members need and deliver education and great events and excellent customer service,” said Morris. “You also need to look ahead to be able to protect the association strategically to see where the industry is going and how best to serve the members. One thing that you learn is that you can’t force consensus. Associations are groups of people who come together voluntarily for the greater good of the industry. It involves a variety of duties, between running big events and furthering education to doing advocacy on behalf of the members and forming alliances with similar, like-minded organizations that have similar issues and concerns. And then, it is just basic customer service. You have a lot of members who want different things from the association. Developing incredible member service is key.”
Now, firmly planted in his new position as Executive Director of the IBMA, Morris is interested in using the current and future technologies to move the association and its members forward. And, he is happy to follow former Executive Director Paul Schiminger in the position, who used his extensive business experience to bring a ‘best practices’ approach to bringing the IBMA into the modern world.
“I think one of the best things an association can do is look at our environment and industry trends and think about where we want to be in three to five years,” said Morris. “One of the great things about associations is that Boards get together and think strategically about what is next and how the association will look in a couple of years. You must think seriously about the industry we are in and where it is headed, consider the upcoming changes that might affect our industry and the expectations of the members. I think is important is to not come into an association like the IBMA and assume that I already have the answers. A big part of what I need to do first is to listen and learn and get a good sense of how things were built and what the traditions were at the beginning of the IBMA and what the vision was of the founders. I think it is important to do a really good assessment of what is important to our professional members, fans, and future members, look at the issues and initiatives that are top of mind, and learn first how we got here rather than have some sort of prefab answers or toolbox of solutions that may have worked in another non-profit.”
Morris has made the move to Nashville and even has a new phone number with the famous ‘615’ area code on it. “I’ve traveled all over the world and I’ve been very impressed with Nashville. Everyone has been very welcoming,” said Morris. “The unique thing about the city is that everyone you meet seems to know someone who is involved in the music industry, from the realtors to the neighbors or whomever you might run into here. And to a person, they have all mentioned that they know and love bluegrass.”
Still, the big city that is on Morris’ mind at the moment is Raleigh, NC, where the annual IBMA Week, Convention, Fan Fest Street Festival and Awards Show returns to a live setting at the end of September. “I am absolutely excited about it,” said Morris. “There is a great lineup that has been put together. It is very interesting to see how it is coming together after such a crazy year for the whole world in 2020. For folks to be able to get out and perform live and to get the fans back out, we are really excited about what we have planned. From Del McCoury and Jerry Douglas to Sister Sadie to the Steep Canyon Rangers to Bela Fleck presenting his ‘My Bluegrass Heart’ show, it’s going to be fantastic. We are planning a spectacular Awards Show, and IBMA is so honored to be inducting the Stoneman Family, Lynn Morris, and Alison Krauss into the IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame. It will be a week to remember – it is the biggest week for bluegrass in the world and we are all excited about it and our great partnership with the city of Raleigh. We are going to bring people together to reconnect with each other, to refocus their careers and re-imagine bluegrass and to grow!”
Morris is also preparing for IBMA Week in a different way; by breaking out his old Martin guitar. “My calluses are getting a little tougher and I’ve been practicing when I can,” said Morris. “But it is also a little intimidating to be around some of the best pickers in the world. I never quite got to that level. But the beauty of bluegrass is you can still play it and listen to it and enjoy it in your own way, and I can always improve as there are so many great musicians to learn from. So, ultimately it is a great marriage for me between what I have chosen to do professionally in running associations and my passion for bluegrass music and the industry.”
Once again, thankfully, the IBMA has found a talented and experienced Executive Director in Pat Morris who has knowledge of and a love for all things bluegrass. “It is about the music,” said Morris. “There is something really remarkable about bluegrass and all of the talented folks in this community. It is just a great family. Everyone is very friendly and very approachable. There is the line in bluegrass between the professional musicians and the active fans that is very close, and you don’t see that in rock ‘n roll and other genres. Everybody wants to give back, which is very cool. And something else that I don’t think is disputed by anybody is that there is a uniqueness to bluegrass in that the professionals and fans who play want to master the music and their instruments. There is nobody that is faking it and there is something very wonderful and solid about that. It is so organic. When I went to the fabulous Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, KY, there were a bunch of folks sitting there playing together and everybody was welcome to join. For me, bluegrass has had a huge impact on my life. I’ve had a love and a passion as a fan of bluegrass for most of my life and the fact that I can now take that and apply the talent and skills that I have in running associations and put those two together; it is a dream come true.”
