President : Nick McKenna , CSFM

Immediate Past President : Jimmy Simpson , CSFM

President-Elect : James Bergdoll , CSFM

Secretary-Treasurer : Sun Roesslein , CSFM

Vice-President Commercial : Jeremy Bohonko

Professional Facilities : Nicole Sherry

Academic : Adam Thoms , Ph . D .

Higher Education : Clark Cox , CSFM

Parks & Recreation : Brad Thedens , CSFM

Schools K-12 : Jeremy Driscoll Commercial : Paula Sliefert

At-Large Elected : Scott Thompson , CSFM

At-Large Appointed : Alpha Jones , CSFM

STMA OFFICE P . O . Box 1673 Lawrence , KS 66044 Phone : 800-323-3875 Email : STMAinfo @ STMA . org www . STMA . org

STMA EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chairman : Jeremy Driscoll Group Leader : Clark Cox , CSFM

TJ Brewer , CSFM ; Joe Churchill ; Jim Cornelius , CSFM ; Kyley Dickson , PhD ; Cliff Driver , CSFM ; Scott Stevens , CSFM ; and Steve Ware

Howdy STMA members ! Sorry , at Texas A & M , that is our traditional greeting ( seriously , it is a school tradition , and not just a Texas thing ). Let me begin by saying what an honor and privilege it is for me to serve as your president for the next year . I want to take a moment to thank Immediate Past President Simpson for his outstanding leadership this past year , as well as our other board members , headquarters staff , and everyone who volunteered to serve our association . The strength of the STMA has always been our members , and the new board is excited to serve you all .

Ordinarily , many of us would have recently returned from the annual STMA Conference and Exhibition – but 2020 was anything but ordinary . I was disappointed we couldn ’ t be together in person this year , as the conference always has a way of reenergizing me . It provides the opportunity to share ideas , see new products , network with peers , and celebrate successes . I believe Alexander Graham Bell said it best when he said , “ When one door closes , another opens .” I am so thankful that when the door for an in-person conference closed , STMA quickly pivoted and walked straight through the open door of hosting a virtual conference . While no substitute for the in-person event , the virtual conference gave us the opportunity to do many of the things that we have come to enjoy . One advantage of our virtual conference is that it ’ s not over . We have a fantastic schedule of educational topics that will continue to be presented every Tuesday through March 2 . I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to hear from our peers and continue your education .

I recently read the book , The Coffee Bean by Jon Gordon and Damon West , and it reminded me of this past year . The book compares how life can be like a pot of

boiling water , and how the environment we are in can weaken , harden or change us . We can be like a carrot that weakens in the water , an egg that hardens , or we can be a coffee bean , and take what ’ s inside of ourselves and transform our environment . For many , 2020 was full of frustrations , disappointments and challenges . As we move forward in 2021 , I hope that you will choose to be like the coffee bean – work to change your environment , and utilize the opportunities in front of you ! SFM

Nick McKenna , CSFM

Nick McKenna , CSFM STMA President nmckenna @ athletics . tamu . edu sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2021 | SportsField Management

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