STMA Annual Meeting and 2020 slate of candidates set

The STMA Annual Meeting, which is required by the bylaws, is officially set for Wed., Jan. 15, 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. (includes lunch and keynote address). At the meeting, association business will be discussed and the 2020 board of directors will be presented to the membership.
Up for election are the following candidates:

Commercial Vice President: 
Jeremy Bohonko, regional manager-Piedmont region, Charlotte, N.C.

Secretary Treasurer:
James Bergdoll, CSFM, director of parks maintenance, City of Chattanooga Public Works, Chattanooga, Tenn.
OR
Sun Roesslein, CSFM, north area athletic complex stadium manager, Jeffco Schools Athletics, Golden, Colo.

Director Higher Education: 
Clark Cox, CSFM, asst. AD/sports turf & landscape services, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
OR
Joshua Koss, CSFM, landscape services manager, San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif.

Director Academic: 
Jason Kruse, Ph.D., associate professor and assistant chair, Environmental Horticulture Dept., University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
OR
Adam Thoms, Ph.D., assistant professor of commercial turfgrass, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Director Parks & Rec:
Ron Hostick, CSFM, manager-landscape services, City of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
OR
Brad Thedens, CSFM, park caretaker, City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Director At-Large Elected: 
Billy Pipp, CSFM, regional grounds manager, ABM, Midlothian, Va.
OR
Scott Thompson, CSFM, superintendent of sports fields & grounds, Duke University, Durham, N.C.

The slate will also contain these candidates who automatically ascend to their position on the board, per the bylaws:

  • Immediate Past President – Jody Gill, CSFM, grounds coordinator, Blue Valley School District, Overland Park, Kan.
  • President – Jimmy Simpson, CSFM, facilities coordinator, Town of Cary, Cary, N.C.
  • President Elect – Nick McKenna, CSFM, assistant athletic field maintenance manager, Texas A&M Athletics, College Station, Texas

The president will make two appointments: one to fill the At-Large Appointed Director and the other to fill the Commercial Director, which was left vacant when Jeremy Bohonko was slated Commercial VP. He had one year left in his term. Current board members Stephen Lord, CSFM, Cincinnati Reds., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jeremy Driscoll, St. Marks High School, Wilmington, Del., are not up for election.

The ballots will be sent electronically to all voting members on Nov. 12 with a closing date of December 3. The accounting firm of SS&C will be managing the balloting process.

View their bios and visions here.