James Bergdoll, Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM), Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) was elected President and will serve a one-year term. He currently serves as the Director of Park Maintenance for the City of Chattanooga (TN), a position he has held since 2015.
“Having my career in parks maintenance, I’ve found it is very important to educate the general public and community leaders on the importance of sports field management and how it positively impacts everyone who uses public facilities, especially our youth,” says Bergdoll. “2022 is a very important year for the Association, as we just announced a major rebrand and will be focusing efforts on being inclusive to everyone in the sports field management industry. Further, myself and the board are devoted to elevating the profession and the knowledge our hard-working members bring to the world of sports.”
Other 2022 officers include:
Immediate Past President – Nick McKenna, CSFM, Assistant Athletic Field Manager, Texas A&M University (College Station, Tex.) President-Elect – Sun Roesslein, CSFM, Sports Stadium Manager, North Area Athletic Complex, Jeffco Schools (Golden, Colo.) Vice President – Commercial – Paula Sliefert, Senior Manager – Commercial Business, The Toro Company (Bloomington, Minn.) Secretary / Treasurer – Dan Bergstrom, CSFM, Director of Turf and Grounds, PNC Stadium (Houston, Tex.)
Additional directors:
Academic Director – Adam Thoms, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Commercial Turfgrass, Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa) Appointed Director At-Large – Brad Thedens, CSFM, Park Caretaker, City of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Commercial Director – Jamie Mehringer, VP Sports Turf, Advanced Turf Solutions (Fishers, Ind.) Elected Director At-Large – Alpha Jones, CSFM, Director of Field Operations, Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Fayetteville, N.C.) Higher Education Director – Jason DeMink, CSFM, Sports Turf Specialist, University of Michigan Athletic Dept. (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Parks & Recreation Director – Jason Bowers, CSFM, Sports Turf Supervisor, Cabin John Regional Athletic Area (Montgomery County, Md.) Professional Facilities Director – Nicole Sherry, Head Groundskeeper, Baltimore Orioles (Baltimore, Md.) Schools K-12 Director – Jeremy Driscoll, CSFM, Grounds Supervisor, St. Mark’s High School (Wilmington, Del.)
The Sports Field Management Association conducts its annual elections electronically in late November and the Board officially takes office during the Conference & Exhibition each January.
Next year’s conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 16-19, 2023. The following year’s conference will be held in Daytona Beach, Fla., January 22-25, 2024.
