Adam Thoms, Ph. D. SFMA President athoms @ iastate. edu

OFFICERS

President: Adam Thoms, Ph. D.

Immediate Past President: Sun Roesslein, CSFM

President Elect: Alpha Jones, CSFM

Secretary-Treasurer: Casey Carrick, CSFM

Vice President Commercial: Erin Wilder

Directors

Academic: Chase Straw, Ph. D.

At-Large( elected): Weston Floyd, CSFM

At-Large( appointed): Lee Van Meeteren

Commercial: Matthew Duncan, CSFM

Higher Education: Jason DeMink, CSFM

Parks and Recreation: Zack Holm, CSFM

Professional Facilities: Mitch Hooten

Schools K-12: Jake Mays

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

SFMA EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chair: Joe Churchill Vice Chair: Brad Thedens, CSFM Board Liaison: Chase Straw, Ph. D. Members: C. J. Buck; Paul Hollis; Rebecca Knapp, CSFM; Eric Roberts, CSFM; Jack Stelter; and Aaron Tipton

We have had quite the past 12 months as an organization, but I’ m very excited about the future with our new CEO for the Sports Field Management Association( SFMA). After a comprehensive search process, we found the person to lead us into the future.

When the search was first started, it was clear among the SFMA Board of Directors— as well as feedback received from many members— that we wanted someone who understood our industry and would help us move our organization ahead as part of our strategic plan. As an organization we learned that onboarding a new CEO is best done anytime but during the rush for conference planning for our largest annual event.

After pausing the search process in the fall of 2024, we reopened the search until mid-February of 2025, and had more than 80 applicants for the CEO position. All of those applicants were screened with a matrix based on what the organization wanted to see in our next CEO in 10 different categories. Each member of the search committee filled out the matrix, and the scores were compared after completion. There were 10 common names that rose to the top across those matrixes for each of the search committee members.

After screening, Zoom interviews were conducted with the 10 highest-scoring individuals in the search committee matrix. The list was then narrowed down to three individuals to be interviewed by the board of directors via Zoom. A final step in the process was inperson interviews during which SFMA staff got a chance to meet with the three candidates, as well as the search committee for a more extended amount of time.

Although the search process took time, it allowed the search committee to learn more about each candidate and find who we feel will be the best for our future. During this process, Paula Sliefert continually rose to the top of the interviews. Paula brings very strong knowledge of the turfgrass industry and SFMA. She also has an incredible network of people to connect with, and we are excited to have her lead us forward.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing SFMA headquarters staff of Leah, Nora, Whitney and Jennifer for taking on extra responsibilities for the past year on top of their job responsibilities. We also would not have gotten to this point without Alpha Jones and Sun Roesslein stepping up to help with day-to-day operations during the past year. Next time you are on a committee call, please thank them for all they do for SFMA.

– Adam Thoms, Ph. D. sportsfieldmanagementonline. com July 2025 | SportsField Management

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