Paul P. Baard

CAMPTON, NH----- Dr. Paul P. Baard, 79, passed away on Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at his home, surrounded by his family, in Campton, New Hampshire. Dr. Baard was born in New York City and is survived by his wife, Veronica K. Baard, daughter, Dr. Samantha K. B. Perry, son-in-law, Dr. William C. Perry, grandchildren, Lillian and Edward, and German Shepherd companion, Rayna, all of whom he loved deeply.

Paul was passionate about sharing the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In his ministry involvements over the decades, he worked with many churches, helping individuals, families, and church leadership, sharing his insights through seminars and Bible studies. He was a member of Christ Redeemer Church in Hanover, NH, along with his wife, Veronica.

Paul was also passionate about his work in motivation, with one of his most significant contributions being his published book on leadership called “Motivating Your Church.” Dr. Baard served as a full-time faculty member at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business for over 20 years, commencing in 1990, following a successful career in senior line management at the A.C. Nielsen Company (television research division). He was a Trustee Emeritus of the City University of New York, having been appointed by two New York governors. Holding a Ph.D. in psychology, specializing in motivation, he researched and taught in the areas of motivation, interpersonal conflict reduction, and team building.

He published in numerous academic and popular journals, including Harvard Business Review, and appeared often in major media outlets on matters of organizational psychology, including The Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNN and many others. He served as a sports psychologist at Fordham and worked with professional athletes and teams. He was also a featured main tent speaker, executive coach for managers, and trainer, serving many organizations including Hitachi, PepsiCo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the NBA. He was a regular columnist (Motivation Matters) for the Union Leader. He consulted with his colleague and partner, Veronica Baard, with their consulting firm specializing in leadership, motivation, team development, and growth.

Dr. Baard was on the original faculty of Self-determination Theory (SDT), arguably the leading theory of motivation in the world today. He has given invited lectures on SDT at the University of Rochester, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and at academic and corporate conferences in the US and Canada, and has co-authored with SDT’s theorists (Baard, Deci & Ryan, 2004). Dr. Baard’s work in the role of emotional maturation and leadership is based in Bowen Systems Theory (BST) and was an invited lecturer at the Georgetown Bowen Center for the Study of the Family as well as at MIT’s Organizational Learning Center. Dr. Baard published his derivative of BST, Psychological Fusion, in the Harvard Business Review case study “The Team That Wasn’t”, which continues to be a widely used Harvard case study.

A graveside service will be held at the Blair Cemetery in Campton, NH prior to a public Celebration of Life service at The Quechee Church (1905 Quechee Main St, Quechee, VT) at Noon, Saturday, May 11, 2024.

Arrangements are under the care of Mayhew Funeral Home. To sign the online book of memories, go to mayhewfuneralhomes.com.