Officers

President : Sun Roesslein , CSFM

President Elect : Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Secretary-Treasurer : Alpha Jones , CSFM

Vice President Commercial : Erin Boyd Wilder

Directors

Academic : Chase Straw , Ph . D .

At-Large ( elected ): Kyle Patterson

At-Large ( appointed ): Lee Van Meeteren

Commercial : Warren Gorrowitz

Higher Education : Casey Carrick , CSFM

Parks and Recreation : Zack Holm , CSFM

Professional Facilities : Dan Farnes

Schools K-12 : Jeremy Driscoll , CSFM

SFMA OFFICE P . O . Box 1673 Lawrence , KS 66044 Phone : 800-323-3875 Email : SFMAInfo @ SportsFieldManagement . org www . sportsfieldmanagement . org

SFMA EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chair : Brad Thedens , CSFM Board Liaison : Chase Straw , Ph . D . Members : Matthew Arms , CSFM ; Philip Braselton ; TJ Brewer , CSFM ; Joe Churchill ; Forrest Jammer ; John Kmitta ; and David Schwandt .

Editor ’ s note : Throughout 2024 , members of the SFMA Board of Directors will be providing editorial content in lieu of the President ’ s Message by Sun Roesslein , CSFM . These diverse perspectives will offer additional and unique insight into SFMA and industry initiatives .

My name is Chase Straw , and I am an assistant professor of turfgrass management and physiology at Texas A & M University . Additionally , I serve on the SFMA Board of Directors as the academic director and chair the SFMA Education Committee .

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our presenters at the 2024 SFMA Conference and Exhibition in Daytona Beach . The conference featured a diverse range of topics , including renovation and construction , hybrid turf and professional development . The feedback we received has been overwhelmingly positive , and we are eager to maintain this momentum as we head into the 2025 SFMA Conference in Palm Springs , California .

By the time this issue of SportsField Management reaches you , the call for 2025 conference presentation proposals will have concluded , and the Education Committee will be in the process of reviewing them . Our goal is to offer a broad spectrum of topics that encompass research and technology ; pest control ; synthetic and hybrid surfaces ; professional and career development ; diversity , equity and inclusion ; and sustainability and best management practices .

The Education Committee meets almost every month to discuss strategies for simplifying the

Chase Straw , Ph . D . SFMA Academic Director Chase . Straw @ ag . tamu . edu

presentation proposal submission process and ensuring that all proposals are given a fair review . This year , we are introducing chapter involvement in the review process for proposals . The SFMA Education Committee will be collaborating with individual chapters to select a representative who will assist in scoring and ranking the submitted proposals . We believe this approach will not only allow chapters to contribute to the educational content at the national show . but also enhance the proposal scoring system .

For those who have never submitted a proposal or spoken at our conference , I highly encourage you to consider it in the future . We are continuously in search of intriguing or unique case studies . Feedback indicates that attendees appreciate

learning about real-world scenarios across all levels of our industry .

Organizing the educational content for the conference is a challenging task , and I am profoundly thankful for the members of the Education Committee and others who offer their valuable insights . Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns ( Chase . Straw @ ag . tamu . edu ). I assure you that we are committed to providing an exceptional educational experience at the 2025 conference . SFM sportsfieldmanagementonline . com April 2024 | SportsField Management

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