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: Dan Farnes

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: Brad Thedens, CSFM Vice Chair: TJ Brewer, CSFM Board Liaison: Chase Straw, Ph. D. Members: Matthew Arms, CSFM; Joe Churchill; Cliff Driver, CSFM; Kate Garassino; Rebecca Knapp, CSFM; and Tony Koski.

As spring sports wind down and the summer growing season ramps up, we are all hitting that busy time of year. Even so, I encourage you to take the time to participate in upcoming SFMA committee calls. These important discussions help move us ahead with new initiatives and content.

This month, I would like to share updates on some exciting progress within the Sports Field Management Association. From the boardroom to our committees, there is a great deal of momentum building. One major focus has been the CEO search. We received more than 80 applications from a highly qualified pool of candidates; and, at the time of writing this( in mid-April), interviews are progressing well.

Planning is in full swing for our conference in Fort Worth, January 18-22, 2026, and we have excellent proposals for educational sessions, tours and networking events. Interest in our trade show has been strong, and we expect to have a full exhibit hall floor in 2026 with many great vendors and suppliers.

We will also be hosting the second ever National Turfgrass Science Invitational as part of our 2026 conference, during which teams of high school students will compete to showcase their turfgrass knowledge and skills. This exciting event will draw FFA members from throughout the country to compete. We hope to double the participation from the inaugural event, which was held earlier this year during the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show. We will need help with this event, so please reach out to SFMA headquarters if you are interested in volunteering.

Future SFMA Conference locations have been confirmed, as we will be heading to Tampa, Florida, February 1 – 4, 2027, followed by San Antonio, Texas, January 17 – 20, 2028.

In addition, we are moving closer to releasing a turfgrass mathematics course as part of our online education. This should help our members to better prepare for the Certified Sports Field Manager exam. We have also had growth in our mentorship program, and are excited for the new participants to experience that program during the upcoming year. Be aware that we will be reaching out to SFMA members in the coming months with a survey, and we will need your participation.

It is exciting to see the progress and planning taking shape for this year and beyond— and it is all possible because of the time, energy and dedication each of you contributes to SFMA. Thank you for your time and effort.

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

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