Josh Byrd serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of West Georgia. His primary responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble, teaching music education classes, supervising student teachers, and administrating all aspects of the UWG band program. Prior to his appointment he served as Director of Bands for Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin and Assistant Director of Bands at Lanier Middle School and Norcross High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Dr. Byrd received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the University of Georgia where he studied with John Lynch and minored in Music Theory. He received his Master of Music degree in Conducting while studying with Tom Dvorak at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia where he studied saxophone with Kenneth Fischer and conducting with Dwight Satterwhite and John Culvahouse.

Dr. Byrd is an active clinician, most recently having presented at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, GMEA In-service, and CBDNA National Conference. Dr. Byrd is a strong advocate of new music, having been a part of numerous commissioning consortiums during his tenure at the University of West Georgia, including Viet Cuong's Bull's-Eye, Joseph Schwantner’s Luminosity, David Maslanka’s Symphony No. 10, and Jennifer Higdon’s Aspire.

His professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Beta Mu, and Kappa Kappa Psi. Dr. Byrd lives in Carrollton with his wife, Katie, and their two children, Tripp and Haley.