Baird Ultra Short Bond Fund
The Fund is managed through a duration-neutral, risk-controlled approach with a strong emphasis on the long-term perspective. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek current income consistent with preservation of capital. The Fund’s benchmark is the Barclays U.S. Short-Term Government/Corporate Index. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets in the following types of U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities:
- U.S. government and other public-sector entities
- Asset-backed and mortgage-backed obligations of U.S. and foreign issuers
- Corporate debt of U.S. and foreign issuers
- Money market instruments
The Fund invests primarily in investment-grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its net assets in non-investment-grade securities.
The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees in an amount equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the average daily net assets for the Fund until April 30, 2021. The agreement may only be terminated prior to the end of this term by or with the consent of the board of directors of Baird Funds, Inc.
Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The funds' current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted.
The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities which may be subject to prepayment risk and thus may be more sensitive to interest rate changes than other types of debt securities. The Fund may also invest in U.S. dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign issuers which involve additional risks including political and economic instability, differences in financial reporting standards and less regulated securities markets. Non-investment-grade bonds involve greater risk of default and bankruptcy than investment-grade securities. While the U.S. government has historically provided financial support to various U.S. government-sponsored agencies, no assurance can be given that it will do so in the future if it is not obligated by law. A bond's market value may be affected signifcantly by changes in interest rates – generally, when interest rates rise, the bond's market value declines and when interest rates decline, its market value rises ("interest rate risk").
The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees in an amount equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the average daily net assets for the Fund until April 30, 2021. The agreement may only be terminated prior to the end of this term by or with the consent of the board of directors of Baird Funds, Inc.
The U.S. Bloomberg Barclays Short-Term Government/Corporate Index contains securities that have fallen out of the U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index because of the standard minimum one-year-to-maturity constraint. Indices are unmanaged and are not available to direct investment.

Mary Ellen Stanek, CFA
Managing Director
Chief Investment Officer
Mary Ellen has 42 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. She is responsible for the formulation of fixed income strategy as well as the development and implementation of all fixed income asset management services. Mary Ellen serves on the board of Baird Financial Group, is President of the Baird Funds and is chair of the Baird Diversity Steering Committee. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Marquette University and her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Mary Ellen earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1983 and is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Mary Ellen was President and Chief Executive Officer of Firstar Investment Research and Management Company (FIRMCO) and was Director of Fixed Income.

Charles B. Groeschell
Managing Director
Senior Portfolio Manager
Charlie has 42 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. His responsibilities include setting investment policy and implementing the long-term investment strategy of Baird Advisors. He also plays a lead role in the management of institutional client relationships. Charlie obtained his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University and his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Charlie was a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager with Firstar Investment Research & Management Company (FIRMCO).

Warren D. Pierson, CFA
Managing Director
Deputy Chief Investment Officer
Warren has 35 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. He plays a lead role in the formulation of fixed income strategy as well as the development and implementation of Baird Advisors’ fixed income asset management services. Warren obtained his undergraduate degree from Lawrence University and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1990. He is currently a member of the CFA Institute and a past President of the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Warren was a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager with Firstar Investment Research and Management Company (FIRMCO) where he managed municipal bond portfolios and intermediate taxable bond portfolios.

Daniel A. Tranchita, CFA
Managing Director
Senior Portfolio Manager
Dan has 32 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. He plays a lead role in research and strategy development in the mortgage and asset-backed sectors. Dan obtained his undergraduate degree and his MBA from Marquette University. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1993 and is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Dan was a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager with Firstar Investment Research and Management Company (FIRMCO).

M. Sharon deGuzman
Managing Director
Senior Portfolio Manager
Sharon has 30 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. She plays a lead role in risk management and portfolio construction focusing on managing short and intermediate taxable portfolios and tax-exempt portfolios. Sharon obtained her undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University. She is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Sharon was an Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager with Firstar Investment Research and Management Company (FIRMCO) where she did quantitative fixed income analysis and portfolio management.

Meghan H. Dean, CFA
Managing Director
Senior Portfolio Manager
Meg has 21 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. She co-leads research and strategy development in the mortgage and asset-backed sectors. Meg obtained her undergraduate degree in Economics from Boston College, and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2005. She is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to rejoining Baird Advisors in 2007, Meg was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager with Deerfield Capital Management in Chicago where she was a member of the asset-backed securities team focusing on collateralized debt obligations.

Jeffrey L. Schrom, CFA
Managing Director
Senior Portfolio Manager
Jeff has 27 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. He plays a lead role in overseeing credit research and developing and implementing investment strategies within the credit sector. Jeff obtained his undergraduate degree from Carroll University and his M.S. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned the Certified Public Accountant designation in 1991 and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1998. Jeff is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Jeff was the Director of Corporate Bonds at Clarica Life Insurance and began his career as an auditor at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Jay E. Schwister, CFA
Managing Director
Research Director/Senior Portfolio Manager
Jay has 37 years of experience managing a broad range of fixed income portfolios. He is the head of fixed income research and oversees risk management across Baird Advisors’ portfolio strategies. Jay also plays a lead role in the formulation and implementation of investment strategy. In addition, he directs product responsibility for Long Duration LDI strategies designed for defined benefit pension plans. Jay obtained his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1987. He is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee. Prior to joining Baird Advisors, Jay was a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager with Putnam Investments in Boston where he was responsible for strategy formulation and portfolio construction across a wide variety of multi-sector fixed income mandates.