PROFILE
Photo provided by Adam Thoms , Ph . D .
“ Maybe people get frustrated with the lack of speed that they ’ ve seen things change the last couple of years on the front side ,” he said . “ But I think this year , as they registered for conference or to renew their dues , hopefully they ’ re seeing that new system and that will help us with the ability to communicate with the membership .
“ I think overall the health of the organization is good ,” he added . “ I ’ m excited about our new conference locations that we ’ re going to announce soon . Hopefully , that will drive some good attendance at those events in the coming years as well . But we still have work to do . We have members that we lost during Covid that we have to get back ; and , quite frankly , we have to find a new leader or face for SFMA . That is going to be a big priority for us this upcoming year as well .”
When searching for a new executive leader for the association , Thoms said budgetary management will be important , as will finding someone who understands SFMA membership .
“ But it also has to be someone who is willing to be a working leader as well ,” he said . “ That ’ s going to be important because we don ’ t have a huge staff . Our headquarters staff does an amazing job , but they ’ re probably understaffed . This new leader is going to have to step in and work hard as well .”
LEADING THE WAY Helping guide SFMA through those initiatives in 2025 , Thoms feels he brings to the role of president a passion for the industry and the people within it .
“ If you ’ re not passionate about it , you ’ re not going to care ,” he said . “ I want to see everybody succeed . If somebody doesn ’ t know much about the industry , I want to teach them as much as I can .”
According to Thoms , having worked with both cool- and warm-season grasses gives him some unique knowledge and skills , as does having worked on the grounds crews at ISU and UT , as well as working with students , academics and researchers .
24 SportsField Management | February 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com