Sun Roesslein, CSFM, has been Sports Stadium Manager at the North Area Athletic Complex for over 16 years. She is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the football stadium and the soccer stadium which make up the NAAC. The complex is the home field for 6 of the high schools in the Jefferson County School District. Sun got her start in the turfgrass management industry working on the grounds crew for the Lexington Legends Minor League baseball team in 2001. After moving to Denver she worked briefly for the City of Thornton before taking her current position with Jeffco Schools Athletics. In 2014, the NAAC soccer field was awarded SFMA’s Soccer Field of the Year for the Schools and Parks category. The following year, the NAAC football field was selected as SFMA’s 2015 Football Field of the Year in the same category.
Sun received her B.S. in 2000 and M.S. in 2002 from Eastern Kentucky University in Sports Administration. It was during her final semester that she discovered the turfgrass industry and decided to make a career path change. She became a member of SFMA in 2002. She is a Past President of the Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association, served on the CSFMA Board of Directors, and has served on SFMA’s Ethics committee, Website/ Technology committee, Membership committee and is currently Chair of the Certification committee. Sun has also served the SFMA Board as the Director representing the K-12 segment as well as the Route to Recovery task group. In July of 2016, Sun earned her CSFM designation.
The SFMA membership is a group of passionate, talented, driven and dedicated people who make this industry a great one! I believe the Association plays a crucial role in supporting the success of sports field managers through education, networking, certifications, and awareness. 2020 certainly presented challenges, but SFMA stepped up to provide educational resources and support to our members and non-members alike. I envision SFMA and our membership to continue being the industry leaders in sports field management around the world. The pandemic highlighted what an important role sports fields play in people’s lives. It is imperative that SFMA continue to educate owners, managers, athletic directors and coaches on the importance of having qualified sports field managers keeping those surfaces safe.
Many of us have responsibilities beyond maintaining our playing surfaces and SFMA’s collaboration with other groups in related industries is certainly an area for growth. Whether it is administrative, facility management, or event management, I envision SFMA partnering with organizations in those areas to support our membership in their expansion of duties. These collaborations will also increase SFMA member’s visibility and credibility among those who do not necessarily understand what all goes into sports field management.
SFMA has enhanced my career tremendously, and I am honored to continue helping the Association support the successes of members at every level.
My vision for SFMA is to improve our position as the go-to people for sports field and facility management. While we are an established organization there is still work to be done to be recognized as a group of professionals and experts. We need to better educate our membership on what they can do to increase awareness in their communities and the role they play. Having my professional role in parks maintenance, I have found that it is very important to educate the general public and its leaders on the importance of sport field management and how it positively impacts those that use public facilities, primarily our youth. Continuing to develop partnerships with like-minded, industry organizations will be one key component for spreading the message. There is a need to promote and market the work that we do to gain interest in the future of the industry. There is also an opportunity to leverage new technologies for field management to gain interest from younger people who are the next generation of Sports Field Managers. Lastly SFMA needs be a leader in inclusivity. We need to seek opportunities to reach and attract underrepresented groups within and outside our industry to be a stronger organization that brings diverse thoughts, ideas, and people together. In this we will create a more powerful impact as an Association, and help us take things to the next level.
Nick McKenna, CSFM, is an Assistant Athletic Field Manager at Texas A&M University. Nick returned to Texas A&M in August 2011 after having spent 4 years working for Virginia Tech overseeing their baseball and soccer/lacrosse facilities. He assists in overseeing all the athletics fields at Texas A&M which include Kyle Field, the Coolidge Football Practice Fields, Olsen Field at Bluebell Park (baseball), Ellis Field (soccer), Davis Diamond (softball), as well as the track & field facilities and numerous landscape areas. This is Nick’s second term at Texas A&M, where he also served as a groundskeeper from 2003-2005.
Nick received his B.S. from Iowa State University in Horticulture with a turfgrass emphasis. While at Iowa State, he served as an athletic field intern during his final semester in school. Nick also completed coursework and research towards an M.S. in Crop Soils & Environmental Science at Virginia Tech, and in 2007 was the recipient of the Dr. James Watson SAFE scholarship. Nick has served on numerous SFMA committees and achieved CSFM status in January 2011. He briefly served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia SFMA before returning to Texas where he has served on the TXSFMA Board for the last since 2012.
Aside from providing safe athletic surfaces on a continual basis, my primary role as an athletic field manager is to educate the public about our profession and to develop the next generation of athletic field managers. In my experience, the SFMA is the single greatest resource we have to support that mission by providing us with the network, tools, and information needed to succeed in this endeavor. It would be a privilege to give back to an organization that has provided so much to me.
My vision for SFMA is to continue to promote our position as “Experts in the Field, Partners in the Game”. An organization is only as good as its membership, so we must strive to find ways to grow our membership and help them in as many ways as possible. We must continue to develop ideas, programs, and resources for our membership to help them advocate their positions and to educate the public about the importance of safe, environmentally responsible, and functional athletic fields.
Additionally, I would like to see the organization continue to grow and develop our professional image and to establish ourselves as true experts within the industry. We need to continue to advocate for our membership and stay on the forefront of potential issues that our industry has faced and will continue to face in the coming years.
Paula Sliefert joined The Toro Company in 2007 and currently serves as senior manager in the company’s Commercial Business. In her role, she has responsibility for supporting a number of Toro’s key industry relationships – in addition she develops and implements strategies targeted at growing the Sports Fields & Grounds market segments, which represents professional and collegiate sports, educational institutions, and government including federal, state and local entities.
Paula is a graduate of Simpson College with a bachelor’s degree in German and International Business and holds a master’s degree in German from Bowling Green State University. She studied and worked abroad in both Germany and Austria, having completed a work abroad program with Mercedes Benz, as well as having attended the University of Salzburg, Austria.
Professional Affiliations:
City Parks Alliance (CPA): Member, Elected Board of Directors Member / Sponsor
National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA): Member, Sponsor of Directors School & Maintenance Management School
Park & Recreation Magazine Advisory Board: Invited Member
Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS): Member, Past Elected Board of Directors Member / Sponsor
Green Industry Expo (GIE) – (NALP & PGMS): Elected Show Board of Directors Member / Sponsor
Sports Field Management Association (SFMA): Member, Elected Board of Directors Member / Sponsor
National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP): Member & Past Elected Business Council Chairperson / Sponsor
Synthetic Turf Council (STC): Member
ToastMasters International: Member having earned the Dynamic Leader designation within their Pathways program, Club President
My background in Marketing will provide a fresh, new perspective to the SFMA Board of Directors. I believe every SFMA member is looking for ways to become better and wants to set a good example for future generations. I have seen the importance of the role that businesses and SFMA can play – when they work together – in driving important change. Working together helps companies like Toro understand the strategic challenges experienced by customers and therefore gives companies an improved line of sight to investment areas that can support and enhance industry wide goals and initiatives. Technology needs to be developed but companies need customers who demand sustainable products in order to continue to invest in the technology development. I believe serving on the board as a private sector, commercial supplier member of SFMA would help advance SFMA’s environmental conservation efforts that enhances the quality of life for all people by educating membership on the better use of environmental resources such as water. Additionally, I believe collaboration with other industry associations could prove to be extremely powerful for all sports field managers, including enhanced dialog with NRPA, PGMS and STC. I have a Bachelors and Master’s Degree focused on International Business & German and have experienced working in the US and abroad, which would bring a global perspective to the Board, should I be selected to serve. It would indeed be a privilege and honor to do so.
Adam Thoms is an Associate Professor of Commercial Turfgrass in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University, where he started in 2016. He oversees the sports turfgrass research at Iowa State, and is the Turfgrass Extension Specialist for Iowa. In addition to research and Extension activities, Adam teaches two classes (Turfgrass Irrigation and Sports Turf Management), as well as serving as an advisor to the Iowa State Turf Club. Adam is in charge of planning education for the Iowa State Turfgrass Field Day, and helps with planning education for the Iowa Turfgrass Conference. Before coming to Iowa State University, Adam was the Research Leader for the Center for Athletic Field Safety at the University of Tennessee. Adam received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of Tennessee working on sports field related projects. He completed his B.S. degree from Iowa State University. Adam has been active in the SFMA since 2005, and took part in the very first SFMA Student Challenge. He is currently serving as the Technical Editor for SportsField Management Magazine, and is on the Editorial Committee. He has served on several committees over the years. Adam is active in the Iowa SFMA Chapter, serving on the Board of Directors as an Educational Advisor. Outside of work he enjoys time with him family, wife (Rachel) and two children (George and Greta).
I want to see SFMA be the leader in education and information on playing surfaces. The academic representative plays a critical role in this, and I feel I can add to this. I also feel the SFMA must find some novel recruiting techniques to help with the shortage of labor for the industry. The SFMA should be a source that the media reaches out to when an event happens, and questions arise. I feel through education, publicity, and recruiting the SFMA can benefit athletic field managers now and into the future.
With nearly 25 years of experience in the turfgrass industry, Ryan has spent his career taking a big-picture approach to managing sports fields, golf courses, and fine turf. As a Sports Field Manager, he spent 8 years working for Columbus (Ohio) Recreation and Parks managing 110 sports fields for over 1.2 million participants annually. During his time there,
he served on the board of the Ohio chapter for 6 years, earned his Certified Sports Field Manager certification in 2020, and guided his organization to become the first in Ohio to hold the SFMA Environmental Facility Certification in 2018. Also in 2018, Ryan founded Field Source Consulting. He now works closely with parks and recreation agencies, K-12 schools, universities, professional sports teams, and amateur sports organizations to ensure they are prepared to play on the best and safest sports fields. This unique company allows him to
interact daily with Sports Field Managers, field users, and leadership who oversee Sports Field Managers within these organizations.
His service to SFMA includes time spent on the Education and Technology Committees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan spearheaded the Technology Committee initiative to bring Townhall Meetings to members in different sectors of the industry including Parks and Recreation, K-12 schools, collegiate, and professional members to share experiences and advice. Each week hundreds of attendees listened and shared with their peers to work through the unique challenges our industry faced during unprecedented times. For his leadership, Ryan was awarded the President’s Award at the 2021 SFMA Conference by now Past President, Mr. Jimmy Simpson. Ryan holds Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Turfgrass Science and Agribusiness from
The Ohio State University where continues to serve as a lecturer in the two-year Turfgrass Management degree program. He is also the current President of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation, a 1,100-member trade association serving the interests of turfgrass managers, vendors, and allied associations in Ohio
It would be naïve of me to believe one person could properly lay out a vision to serve a membership so diverse in geography, education, agronomics, expectations, and staffing, among other things. A framework to go about this though is where we need true leadership
and massive action to allow SFMA to serve the needs of all members. Broadly, a vision can be created for SFMA through a framework that can never please everyone but works incredibly hard to respect everyone in our industry. For example, the challenges faced by an MLB groundskeeper are vastly different from those of a K-12 sports field manager. As an organization, we have a lot of listening to do with all of those folks, their bosses, future Sports Field Managers from diverse backgrounds, and everyone in between. The vision is
not one person’s job to create. Rather, it must be shared, owned, and celebrated by all members and stakeholders.
SFMA has done a tremendous job of bringing about positive changes and fantastic resources for Sports Field Managers. Teaching our members how to utilize those resources to improve their operations and staff is crucial to increasing the profile and trust of Sports Field Managers. Beyond those tools, we need to develop additional resources, lead
conversations, and take steps to improve the quality of working conditions for Sports Field Managers on real issues in our industry:
● Lack of qualified and diverse talent for labor and management.
● Improving the trust and investment of the people we report to so we have the right
resources, tools, and staff the meet ever-increasing expectations.
● Utilizing technology to reduce labor, improve the safety and consistency of our fields, and be conscientious of our impact on the environment. Real issues affecting everyone in our industry. Let’s utilize the tools we have in place while also taking action on things that make the day-to-day of Sports Field Managers everywhere
better or worse.
.
Erin Wilder is currently the Executive Director of Sod Solutions Professionals which she takes great pride in as the active member of an eighth-generation farming family in North Florida. After graduating from Florida State University, Erin returned to the family business, Boyd Sod Farm, to begin her turfgrass career as a Sales Representative and later as Sod Production Manager. She has worked in the turfgrass industry for 20 years traveling the world visiting sod farms, university and research facilities, and various natural grass and artificial turf
venues. Additionally, Erin regularly speaks to organizations & associations providing educational seminars and working directly with turf professionals to educate on the benefits, proper selections, and maintenance of grass. Erin has worked for Sod Solutions for the past 16 years and leads their Sod Professionals Business Unit (Sod Pro.) Sod Solutions is a turfgrass research, development, and marketing company with over 250 licensed producers’ worldwide. Sod Pro is focused on building a greener future by assisting clients through the entire process to provide a beautiful, streamlined, and successful project.
Erin is actively involved in many organizations. She currently serves on multiple committees with Turfgrass Producers International and is a past president of the Florida Turfgrass Association, past committee member for SFMA, past director for the Turf Producers of Florida, board member of Tallahassee Builders Association, and an alternate for the Florida Home Builders Association. She also served on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services License & Bond Committee and the Florida Sod Best Management Practices Steering Committee. Erin is a Class VII graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership
Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources. Erin resides in Tallahassee, FL with her husband and two young boys.
SFMA is a comprised of the best field managers and individuals in the world. My entire career has been spent in the turfgrass industry. My vision is to ensure we continue to attract our future field managers on the advantages of our industry, as well as build public awareness and
improve perception of what our members provide to not only their athletes, but to the environment and public health. I have lobbied the United States Congress on the farm bill since 2000 and have longstanding ties to advocacy and policy involvement, which drives my passion for advocacy for not only the sports industry but the environmental and health benefits our industry provides to the world.
In a time of more stringent regulations, we need to share the benefits of what our members and fields provide to improve the health of our athletes’ and environment. Having a relatable and cohesive message will enable us to expand our influence within the industry and with decision makers in our communities and states.
Zack Holm, CSFM, is the Turf Care Manager at the Central Park Conservancy in New York City. As Turf Care Manager he oversees 300+ acres of turfgrass including 26 baseball/softball fields, lawn bowling and croquet courts, as well as hundreds of acres of recreational lawns. The Park is visited by more than 42 million visitors each year and hosts numerous high-profile events for the City of New York such as concerts and the NYC marathon. Prior to Central Park, Zack was the Manager of Operations at the New York Red Bulls Training Facility in Whippany, NJ. During this time the Red Bulls won SFMA Professional Soccer Field of the Year twice for both the Training Facility and Red Bull Arena. Both of those facilities were one of the first facilities to be certified by the SFMA for environmentally responsible management.
Zack is a graduate of Delaware Valley University with a bachelor’s degree in Turfgrass Management. Over the past few years Zack has also earned master’s degrees in Construction Management and Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to the Red Bulls and Central Park, Zack also spent time in minor and major league baseball.
Zack has been an active member of STMA for the past 15 years serving on various committees such as awards and environmental. Currently, he is Co-Chair of the Environmental Committee and served on the task force for STMA’s Environmental BMP document. In addition, Zack is humbled and honored to be serving as the current President of the Sports Field Managers Association of New Jersey (SFMANJ).
A native of San Diego, Zack resides in Byram Township, New Jersey with his wife Cory and two children, Dimitrius and Cassandra.
My vision for SFMA is simple; to be the leader of the sports field and green industries. This vision would include SFMA being at the top of the pyramid for providing information, environmental stewardship, and latest technology, helping the membership to earn the “expert” status within sports field management. An example of this vision would be to partner with organizations (such as Parks and Rec, or Baseball Coaches Associations) and aspiring for such organizations to look to SFMA to set the standard or be the resource for athletic field best management practices. This vision can support SFMA membership to “gain a seat at the table” with these organizations so that it can in turn empower our members to do the same by demonstrating the value and expertise the sports field manager can bring when actively involved. In addition, to grow the industry by recruiting new sports turf managers from high school athletic programs. If elected I look forward to working with fellow members and board members to showcase our expertise on the field and show, we are where the game begins.
Jason DeMink, CSFM has been the Sports Turf Specialist for the University of Michigan Athletic Department for the past 13 years. He oversees the field maintenance of the baseball and softball complexes, as well as the practice football facilities. Jason and his team manage game day operations as well as the numerous practices and facility rentals. He has been involved with several field renovations of both natural and synthetic surfaces. Jason provides consultation services to local area high schools and colleges.
Prior to his career at the University of Michigan, Jason was the Assistant Groundskeeper for the Boston Red Sox. Jason is a graduate of the Sports and Commercial Turfgrass Program at Michigan State University, and received his CSFM in 2013. Jason joined the SFMA in 2005, and has served on several committees. He is also active in the Michigan chapter, and has been on the board of the MiSFMA since 2017.
Jason served his country in the US Navy and is a proud veteran. He is involved in volunteer activities including Folds of Honor golf outing, coaching youth baseball, and other community organizations. When not ensuring safe playing surfaces for University of Michigan athletes, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids.
My vision for the SFMA is for it to continue to be recognized as a leader in the turfgrass industry. I would like to see more community outreach to prospective turfgrass students in order to promote the profession and help mentor through their career path. This can be done by improved internships, one on one mentoring, and apprenticeships. Another important issue that the SFMA can help with is to increase the average pay for grounds keepers nationwide. Their knowledge, skill, and professionalism deserves compensation more comparable to golf course superintendents. This would help retain sports field managers from leaving the profession to seek out a livable wage. I am excited for this opportunity to be considered for the SFMA Board. I feel that I have a lot of ideas to contribute and that my knowledge, background, and network can help us achieve our goals together.
Sports Turf Supervisor, Montgomery Parks, Cabin John, Bethesda, MD
Jason Bowers, CSFM is the Sports Turf Supervisor for the Cabin John Regional Athletic Area in Montgomery County MD. Jason has been in the sports field management industry for the past 21 years. He earned his Associates Degree in Landscape and Turf Management from Virginia Tech in 2000. After graduation, Jason worked at different golf courses and landscape companies until May of 2003 where he was hired as the Assistant Sports Field Manager at Virginia Tech. After one year, both Jason and his boss got promoted, and Jason then became the Sports Field Manager. While employed at Virginia Tech, he earned his CSFM (Certified Sports Field Manager) in 2007 and won SFMA’s College and University Field of the Year in 2008.
Jason also worked for the Philadelphia Union MLS team in Chester, PA for the inaugural season. He then worked at the Milton Hershey School/ Middle Division where he won another SFMA School and Parks Football Field of the Year in 2012. After a small stint at a non-profit modern art museum in Montgomery County Md, Jason got a job with M-NCPPC at the Cabin John Regional Athletic Area in 2017, and is now taking care of 6 diamond fields, one of which Georgetown University plays their home baseball games, and one small rectangle.
Jason has been involved with the SFMA for 16 years and is a current member of the BMP Committee for the SFMA. He is also the Vice President of the MASFMA. Jason was one of the people who pushed to create BMPs in the Mid- Atlantic and Nationally to help Sports Field Management with community and political issues as they arise.
My vision is to see the SFMA into the future. I want everyone to realize the importance of our BMP book and that restrictions are coming everywhere. I want to see the SFMA continue to introduce new technology, and new ways for STMs to do their jobs better and easier. I want to open conversations with the GCSAA on how the SFMA can do continuing education for our BMP and even work on a BMP certification.
Vision and Bio Coming Soon!
Alpha Jones, CSFM is the Director of Field Operations for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Low – A affiliate of the Houston Astros. He has worked in the Turfgrass Industry for the past 20 years and 12 years before that in the landscape industry.
Alpha currently oversees all field related operations and maintenance at Segra Stadium. His sports field management experience is very diverse. Fayetteville is his second time in the minor leagues, after several years with the Durham Bulls. Additionally, he was crew leader at WakeMed Soccer Park, Assistant Athletic Director of Athletic Facilities for Longwood University overseeing all outdoor athletic facilities and at the high school sports level with Durham Academy. He has volunteered his time to help renovate, maintain or consult on several local athletic fields.
A long-standing member of the Sports Turf Managers Association, the North Carolina and Virginia SFMA chapters, Alpha has served on the VSFMA Board of Directors, Conference Education and Tours Committee, Environmental Facility Certification Committee and currently serves as chairperson of the Learning Initiatives Committee.
Alpha earned his degree in Political Science, graduating Summa cum Laude in 2005 from North Carolina Central University. He achieved Certified Sports Field Manager status in 2020.
I maintain my vision for the SFMA, which is to see the standards of professionalism, public awareness, and industry leadership, established by the great leaders who came before us, continue to grow successfully, increase the size of our membership, and become the recognized true standard and authority in the sports field management industry.
I believe we must play a vital role in creating a new and diverse interest in our Association and industry. As our society and education systems continue to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19, The SFMA is poised to be a key ingredient in establishing new and solid pathways for future sports field managers to follow within the education systems. We can and must establish new recruiting tools that attract the “technology dependent” generations, the person who is not sure of their future career choice, as well as former athletes who want better, safer, and aesthetically pleasing athletic facilities for their communities and schools. Focusing our outreach on the younger generations now will play a significant role in the vitality and longevity of our industry.
Jeremy Driscoll, CSFM is the Grounds Supervisor at St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington, DE from which he is an alumnus (class of ‘95). He has been overseeing all of the campus and athletic fields encompassing approximately 50 total acres since 2006. Always educating himself and finding new things to study, he began his higher education at Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smith’s, NY. He studied Urban Tree Management and earned his A.A.S in 1997. Jeremy furthered his education at the University of Delaware receiving in 2000 his B.S in General Agriculture.
Jeremy has been an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist since 2002. He has a Class B CDL license which he acquired while working for the city of Beaver Creek, CO. He is also a licensed pesticide applicator in NY and DE. Mauget Certified and a DE Certified Nutrient Handler, Jeremy is currently in the process of acquiring his CSFM designation.
Jeremy has been a member of ISA for over 20 years. He became a member of SFMA immediately in 2006, when he took his current position. He has served as K-12 Director during the past two years on the SFMA Board. He is currently serving as chair of the Advocacy committee, and member of the BMP committee. He previously served as chair of the editorial committee, and past service includes the International and Environmental committees. He is a co founder of MASFMA (Mid-Atlantic) Chapter, where he has served as President during the past two years.
Jeremy is a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and is preparing to test to acquire his third degree in the martial art. He finds that these principles of focus, goal setting, respect, motivation and honor transfer into everyday life. A mantra is to never give up, and ALWAYS finish what you start!
Jeremy resides in Wilmington, DE with his wife Susan and son Eughan (Owen).
My vision for SFMA is to see the organization grow stronger. I would like individuals not in our profession to know about the sports field managers who take care of their kids’ sports facilities, school grounds, and professional stadiums. I would like for these individuals to see that we are professionals. We have degrees and certifications which aid in educated decision making and proper care of facilities around the world.
I would like to see the organization build stronger bonds with legislators to educate and keep our products labeled for use on sports fields (pesticides, fertilizer etc..) and not allow governing bodies to continue to take away valuable products that help us professionals complete our jobs. I would like to see the organization be able to give back to more communities and help a greater number of under privileged areas build or rejuvenate sport fields to get kids outside for exercise and to provide safer fields and areas to participate in multiple sports and activities.
There is so much room for expansion, and opportunities to grow this association that it would be incredible to reach a new high percentage in each classification of membership and furthermore get more current members simply more involved.
