PROFILE
“ I ’ m excited about the challenges in the year ahead ,” he said . “ It ’ s going to be a unique year as far as finding a new CEO or director and working with them for orientation into the organization . I ’ m also excited about visiting with the membership and learning as much as I can as quickly as I can . And I ’ m most excited about a lot of these back-of-house processes that we ’ ve spent the last few years reviewing over proposals or voting on ; and now we ’ re finally seeing those come to fruition . It ’ s going to be fun to actually see those get put into place .”
According to Thoms , working with SFMA Immediate Past President Sun Roesslein , CSFM , has been vital for getting up to speed on the role of president .
“ She really got me involved this past year and included me in many conversations that presidents-elect in the past probably haven ’ t gotten to sit in on . She ’ s been a great role model for me in that position .
“ I want to hit the ground running ,” he added . “ We want to get the search rolling and wrapped up , and start looking at the conference model for Fort Worth right away . I ’ m going to charge the board to bring their thoughts , and we ’ re going to do a deep dive into all the activities that we do as an association to make sure that we ’ re as efficient as we can be .”
Thoms hopes to be open and accessible as SFMA President .
“ I want to listen to you and what you have to offer because everybody brings good ideas to the table ,” he said . “ We might not be able to act on all of those , but I ’ m willing to listen and learn from what everybody has to offer .”
He also urges members not to lose sight of what brought them to the association .
“ Continue to be open with your fellow field managers , willing to communicate with them and help them when they need it ,” he said . “ That sense of family is what I hear when people talk about SFMA , so let ’ s not move away from that feeling . That ’ s what makes this organization so unique and makes people love being a part of it .” SFM
Photo credit : Chris Gannon - ISU Photographer sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2025 | SportsField Management
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