Ben McGargill, CGCS host Dress: Professional Business Attire Cost for the Day: Regular and Class E Members: $90 All other Registrants: $45
Agenda: 7:30 - 8:00 AM: Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:00 - 8:30 AM: Midwest Annual Meeting 8:30 - 9:30 AM: Dr. Jim Kerns, Professor and Extension Specialist of Turfgrass Pathology, North Carolina State University. “Below the Surface: Advanced Diagnostics and Control of Turfgrass Root Diseases” 9:30 - 10:30 AM: Dr. Trey Rodgers, Professor, Turfgrass Research and Management, Michigan State University. “World Cup 2026 – Challenges and Opportunities” 10:45 - 11:45 AM: Dr. Jim Kerns, “Below the Surface: Advanced Diagnostics and Control of Turfgrass Root Diseases” 11:45 - 1:00 PM : Election, Lunch, Awards, and President’s Address 1:00 - 2:00 PM: Tyler Bloom, Bloom Golf Partners. “Stewarding the Next Generation of Agronomy Leadership” 2:00 - 2:30 PM: Emily Fuger, Senior Manager, Environmental Programs. “Tailoring BMPs to Individual Operations” 2:30 - 3:00 PM: Dr. Derek Settle, Senior Director of Turfgrass Programs, CDGA “CDGA’s Year in Review – 2026 was Interesting” 3:00 PM: Conclusion
Dr. John “Trey” Rogers III is a professor of turfgrass management and research in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. His focus is on sports turf, golf course renovation, and domed stadium turf systems. He co-developed the historic natural grass system for the 1994 World Cup at the Pontiac Silverdome and helped engineer standardized turf systems for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside teams from MSU and the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Jim Kerns is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Turfgrass Pathology at North Carolina State University. Currently, Jim is also serving as Department Extension Leader in Entomology and Plant Pathology. Jim is originally from Wheaton, IL, but his family moved to NC when he was in high school. He graduated from NC State in 2002 with a BS in Agronomy and moved to Texas A&M for a MS of Soil and Crop Sciences. He came back to NC State in 2004 to work with Dr. Lane Tredway in the Department of Plant Pathology. He completed his Ph.D. in 2008 and started as an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in June of 2008. Jim was recruited back to NC State in 2012. The mission of the turfgrass pathology program at NC State is to provide disease management recommendations to turfgrass managers that are based on research.
Tyler Bloom is the founder and managing partner of Bloom Golf Partners, an executive search and business consulting firm specializing in the golf, turfgrass and private club industries. He has a B.S. in Turfgrass Science from Penn State University and an Executive Certificate in Talent Acquisition from Cornell University. He has over 20 years in the golf and turfgrass industry, including serving as a golf course superintendent for 6 years at Sparrows Point Country Club.
Emily Fuger is the Senior Manager of Environmental Programs at the GCSAA. She works on sustainability initiatives, helps golf facilities develop and adapt Best Management Practices (BPMs) plans through platforms like the GCSAA Learning Hub, and assists with environmental stewardship programs and research.
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