President ’ s Message
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
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 .
Hello again SFMA members !
2024 is kicking off to a unique start in that I have the rare honor of serving a second year as president of our association . Just before our conference last year I learned there were going to be some changes to our Executive Committee for 2023 that would also affect 2024 . Per our bylaws and SOP , that means that we needed to go into a holding pattern in order for the elections to catch up to the positions on the board . With the November 2023 SFMA Board of Directors elections , we are now back on track to return to the normal one-year terms for the 2025 year .
I will serve again this year as president ; Adam Thoms , Ph . D . moves into the president-elect position ; and newly elected Secretary-Treasurer Alpha Jones , CSFM , as well as Vice-President , Commercial Erin Boyd Wilder gets us back on track . The immediate past president chair will be empty for this year . Luckily , we have a very passionate group of past presidents who , unsurprisingly , are willing to help and support the current board as needed .
I ’ d like to take this opportunity to extend my immense gratitude to Past President Nick McKenna , CSFM , for his unwavering commitment to serving our association . When searching through the SOP for the path forward last year , I learned I needed to name someone to hold the president-elect slot for a oneyear appointment . With all the changes we were facing , continuity was a very important factor , and I ’ m very grateful that Nick said yes when asked to serve one more year . I ’ ve had the distinct honor to serve on the board for several years with Nick , and his commitment , passion and dedication to our association are truly inspiring .
Typically , the February issue of SportsField Management includes a sort of “ getting to know you ” article about the newly seated president . For this year , you ’ ll see a bit of a 2023 recap of changes that happened behind the scenes that you may not have noticed , and a look forward to what ’ s coming in 2024 .
You ’ ll see a few other changes this year as well . For example , you ’ ll get to hear from other SFMA
Board members in this column throughout the year . In all honesty , I ’ ve periodically felt a little stuck about what to write that offers some value to you . My hope moving through this year is that hearing other perspectives from those who are representing you in the boardroom will provide more insight into how we are working toward supporting each of you and focusing on growing our profession . Here ’ s to a successful 2024 ! SFM
Sun Roesslein , CSFM
Sun Roesslein , CSFM SFMA President Sun . Roesslein @ jeffco . k12 . co . us sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2024 | SportsField Management
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