By John Kmitta
During the 2025 SFMA Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, Adam Thoms, Ph.D., associate professor, commercial turfgrass at Iowa State University, was sworn in as the thirty-first president of the association, becoming one of only a few academic members to serve in the role, and the first since Dr. Michael Goatley in 2012-13.
“I feel honored that the membership, especially all the practitioners, would give me this opportunity as an academic,” said Thoms. “We make up a very small part of the membership; so to run the organization as a president is an exciting opportunity. I don’t take it lightly. I try to put a lot of thought into every decision because I want to see the organization thrive.”
According to Thoms, coming from an academic background provides a different perspective of what needs to be accomplished at the association level.
“I have the ability to travel the nation a little bit more, giving talks at regional turf conferences, so I hear a little more about what is going on nationally,” he said. “If you’re a practitioner and you don’t really get to travel, you might not hear as much nationwide.
“So much has changed in the way associations exist from when I got on the board in 2020,” Thoms added. “Covid really knocked things back. People don’t necessarily realize how much has changed with the association. I’m excited about the challenges ahead for the next year.”
Thoms hopes to drive forward many SFMA initiatives – especially with regard to industry education.
“I’m an academic,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of time creating modules for online learning. We’ve got a new system now online and it’s super easy to access. We have a lot of great material and quizzes that have been developed.”
In the years to come, Thoms would like to see SFMA develop even more online events, webinars and online learning modules.
“We are going to have to get members who haven’t gone the traditional four-year college or two-year college route,” he said. “We are going to have to self-educate.”
Midwestern roots
Thoms grew up in the relatively small Midwestern town of Waverly, Iowa. He worked with cows and sheep on his uncle’s farm and became involved with 4-H and FFA, which gave him the opportunity to work with plants as well.
Initial thoughts of becoming a veterinarian were dismissed when he realized that he was not fond of the sight of blood. Playing football, however, sparked an interest in sports field management.
“We played a game in the rain, and it tore up the field,” he said. “I came to school the next day and the custodian who took care of the field for us was out there fixing divots. I didn’t realize people could take care of the field. I talked to my teacher about it, and he told me Iowa State teaches people how to do that. That was the ‘aha’ moment for me.”
Thoms attended Iowa State University (ISU) with the intention of becoming a sports field manager. While at ISU, he worked for Mike Andresen on the ISU athletic fields as part of the student grounds crew; and during his junior year, he competed at the inaugural STMA Student Challenge. It was then that Andresen urged Thoms to pursue an advanced degree. Andresen was friends with Bobby Campbell, the field manager at the University of Tennessee (UT), who arranged for Thoms to meet UT’s John Sorochan, Ph.D.
“I was skeptical because I was an Iowa kid and enjoyed Iowa,” said Thoms. “But I went down there and had a great visit. That was a really big turning point for me. I’m really thankful to SFMA for the opportunity to put me in that position.”
While at UT for his Masters and Ph.D., Thoms was involved with turfgrass research and worked for Campbell on the UT grounds crew. UT also enabled Thoms to travel to regional and national meetings.
“I am extremely thankful to John Sorochan for introducing me to so many people and allowing me the opportunity to present around the world while working for him at UT,” said Thoms. “His research and working for him helped shape who I am.”
In 2016, having completed his graduate studies, Thoms embraced the opportunity to return to his roots at Iowa State as assistant professor and Extension specialist.
“I realized when I went the academic route for grad school that there are only so many positions in the state,” he said. “I figured I would probably never get back; so, I felt really blessed with the opportunity to get back to Iowa.”
Thoms also feels lucky to be able to interact with students, help shape them, and give back to the university that put him in a position to succeed.
“It also was really fun to work with Dr. Christians until he retired, and now getting to work with his replacement, Quincy Law,” Thoms added. “It’s rewarding to be able to put your own spin on the program from which you graduated.”
The Iowa State turfgrass program currently has approximately 50 students. Thoms teaches two classes, and also advises graduate students.
“It’s rewarding to work with the students from when they come in and don’t necessarily know what they want to do with their life to when they leave and you get to help them with their first job, polishing up the resume or practicing an interview.”
Thoms also praised the ISU athletics field management and intramurals crews for their relationship with the turfgrass department and their openness to working with the students.
“I feel confident sending the students down there so that they can get that hands-on experience,” he said. “We’re only so good at teaching students; they have to have some hands-on experience. The people down there are just amazing to work with. I think that makes our program unique compared to some places maybe where the students don’t have those opportunities.”
Thoms is also proud to have played a role in ISU’s efforts to grow their own sod for the ISU athletic fields. Growing the sod at the ISU horticulture farm to their own specifications has not only saved money, but has allowed students to being involved in the care and management of the sod.
Thoms – who lives in Huxley, Iowa, with wife Rachel and their children George and Greta – also oversees an active Extension program at ISU, and enjoys the relationships made and built during Extension calls and visits throughout Iowa.
“I don’t love the fact that if I get called, because it means somebody’s probably having a bad day,” he said. “But I love going in, laying out like a plan, and helping them with a solution. That has been really rewarding for me. I enjoy meeting people, talking with them, troubleshooting or answering questions. It’s the people that really drive me.”
Growth within SFMA
The people within the association have also driven Thoms – from competing in the first Student Challenge to serving on committees, then the SFMA Board of Directors and now as president of the association.
“At the very first meeting I was just an undergraduate student, but field managers from established places took the time to shake my hand and listen to me while I introduced myself,” said Thoms. “Then I essentially had graduate school set up through one of those meetings and the people I met there. I wanted to give back in some way. Then I learned so much just from being on committees, just sitting in that room.”
As president, Thoms would like to see SFMA be the leader in education and information on playing surfaces; find recruiting techniques to help with the shortage of labor in the industry; and be a source that the media reaches out to when questions arise.
Thoms feels that SFMA hosting the 2026 National Turfgrass Science Invitational will be a big step toward getting young people involved, and letting them see the industry. SFMA is hoping 20 to 30 teams will attend the event, with more expected in future years.
“Trying to teach people that we exist as an industry or a career is an uphill battle that we’ll always fight while trying to recruit the next generation. Anytime we can get exposure of the industry to younger people who are looking at careers and thinking about their future – that’s a win-win,” he said. “We also want to prepare members by providing some talking points for when they have the opportunity to meet with somebody who might be interested in the industry. Each of us can be ambassadors.”
With regard to media relations, SFMA is working hard to have well-placed content, especially for major events, such as the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“These are opportunities to point out that the fields are managed by professionals – opportunities we can build upon to show that we exist,” said Thoms. “We have opportunities to speak as well, and hopefully they would call us up first, as an organization, if they have a question about a field.
“We should never turn down an opportunity to do an interview or a tour,” he added. “Our athletic department probably gets tired of us dragging prospective students or FFA students down there, but if we get one or two kids to show some interest, then it’s worth it.”
Thoms reiterated that online education is going to be a driver in years to come.
“I’m a realist. Not everybody on the crew is going to attend the national annual conference,” he said. “So, providing resources that they can have at home is going to be useful. Continuing to push that and grow that content center is going to be a very big deal. We’re excited to have a format where you can get online and easily check that stuff out.”
With regard to labor challenges, industry pay scale and work-life balance, Thoms pointed out that pay scales have gone up in recent years, and there is hope that continues; but work-life balance will always be a struggle since athletic events typically occur at night and on weekends.
“I think better pay would help with some of the work-life balance, but more staff would help as well so that the head field manager could get a day off,” he said. “We’ve seen several universities adding full-time staff. Hopefully, that will continue to trickle down and we will see improved pay at those positions as well.”
According to Thoms, SFMA also needs to build partnerships with leagues and other organizations to improve the safety of athletic fields.
“I want to see us, as an organization, reach out to a lot of the leagues to talk about how people need non-biased, science-based training,” he said. “That’s what we offer as an organization. I’d like to work with the leagues to make that important to them. There are a lot of fields out there that would benefit from individuals having some continuing education to help make their field safer. The leagues could help us move that needle a little bit by saying this is important. We have to reach out and get the ball rolling with these organizations and let them know we exist.”
Thoms would also like to lead a push for more members.
“A lot of people are not well connected, so they don’t even know there’s a national association to support them,” he said. “We have to do a better job of showing what we can bring to the table for them and the resources that they can easily access that make membership a can’t-miss opportunity. With our online learning they can stay up to date on continuing education, attend the conference, read the magazine, etc.”
Thoms realizes that being SFMA President brings with it plenty of challenges. As previously noted, much has changed since he first joined the board in 2020. The 2021 SFMA Conference was switched to a virtual event due to the pandemic; longtime SFMA CEO, Kim Heck, stepped down from the role in 2022; her replacement, Laura Simmons, lasted just over a year in the role; and SFMA has now gone without a CEO in place for nearly a year.
Despite the challenges and changes, Thoms points to positive strides made in recent years including background changes members might not see, such as upgrades to association management software.
“Maybe people get frustrated with the lack of speed that they’ve seen things change the last couple of years on the front side,” he said. “But I think this year, as they registered for conference or to renew their dues, hopefully they’re seeing that new system and that will help us with the ability to communicate with the membership.
“I think overall the health of the organization is good,” he added. “I’m excited about our new conference locations that we’re going to announce soon. Hopefully, that will drive some good attendance at those events in the coming years as well. But we still have work to do. We have members that we lost during Covid that we have to get back; and, quite frankly, we have to find a new leader or face for SFMA. That is going to be a big priority for us this upcoming year as well.”
When searching for a new executive leader for the association, Thoms said budgetary management will be important, as will finding someone who understands SFMA membership.
“But it also has to be someone who is willing to be a working leader as well,” he said. “That’s going to be important because we don’t have a huge staff. Our headquarters staff does an amazing job, but they’re probably understaffed. This new leader’s going to have to step in and work hard as well.”
Leading the way
Helping guide SFMA through those initiatives in 2025, Thoms feels he brings to the role of president a passion for the industry and the people within it.
“If you’re not passionate about it, you’re not going to care,” he said. “I want to see everybody succeed. If somebody doesn’t know much about the industry, I want to teach them as much as I can.”
According to Thoms, having worked with both cool- and warm-season grasses gives him some unique knowledge and skills, as does having worked on the grounds crews at ISU and UT, as well as working with students, academics and researchers.
“I’m excited about the challenges in the year ahead,” said Thoms. “It’s going to be a unique year as far as finding a new CEO or director and working with them for orientation into the organization. I’m also excited about visiting with the membership and learning as much as I can as quickly as I can. And I’m most excited about a lot of these back-of-house processes that we’ve spent the last few years reviewing over proposals or voting on; and now we’re finally seeing those come to fruition. It’s going to be fun to actually see those get put into place.”
According to Thoms, working with SFMA Immediate Past President Sun Roesslein, CSFM, has been vital for getting up to speed on the role of president.
“She really got me involved this past year and included me in many conversations that presidents-elect in the past probably haven’t gotten to sit in on. She’s been a great role model for me in that position.
“I want to hit the ground running,” he added. “We want to get the search rolling and wrapped up, and start looking at the conference model for Fort Worth right away. I’m going to charge the board to bring their thoughts, and we’re going to do a deep dive into all the activities that we do as an association to make sure that we’re as efficient as we can be.”
Thoms hopes to be open and accessible as SFMA President.
“I want to listen to you and what you have to offer because everybody brings good ideas to the table,” he said. “We might not be able to act on all of those, but I’m willing to listen and learn from what everybody has to offer.”
He also urges members not to lose sight of what brought them to the association.
“Continue to be open with your fellow field managers, willing to communicate with them and help them when they need it,” he said. “That sense of family is what I hear when people talk about SFMA, so let’s not move away from that feeling. That’s what makes this organization so unique and makes people love being a part of it.”
John Kmitta is associate publisher and editorial brand director of SportsField Management magazine.
