Directors- At- Large
Ron Hostick, CSFM
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Ron Hostick, CSFM is the sports turf manager for San Diego State University, a position he has held since 2001. He holds a B.S. in Horticulture with a Turf Management Option from Oklahoma State University. He attained certification as a Certified Sports Field Manager through STMA in 2004, the first person in California to do so.
He has been a member of STMA since 2002, and has served on the Certification Committee for two years and the Conference Education Committee for three years. He is currently the President of the SoCal Chapter of STMA, a position he has held since 2007. Ron has presented and moderated at STMA national conferences.
Ron’s background includes owning a landscape design, installation and maintenance company and a retail nursery. He was also a golf course superintendent at Bermuda Dunes Country Club in Palm Springs, CA. He has been involved in grounds management since the age of 12, working at local golf course during summers and holidays, until he went away to college.
Vision for STMA:
My vision is of an organization that works for its membership to provide tools for professional development and research directed to the sports turf industry’s specific needs. I believe it is important for STMA to continue to offer educational opportunities to help every turf manage at all levels provide safe and attractive facilities to our users.
Jay Warnick, CSFM
University of Portland Athletics, OR
Jay Warnick, CSFM, is the Sports Turf Manager for the University of Portland Athletics where he manages the Clive Charles Soccer complex. The complex has a sand-based practice and stadium field and a synthetic practice field, which are utilized by both men’s and women’s teams. He also oversees maintenance on the native soil field at Joe Etzel Baseball stadium. Previously he worked for World Class Athletic Surfaces coordinating product research and development and marketing in the Western Region.
Prior to that he oversaw the maintenance and construction of the landscape for BYU-Idaho’s 200-acre central campus, was the Director of Fields for the Seattle Seahawks, the Athletic Field Manager for the University of Utah, and the Assistant Field Manager for the Baltimore Ravens. He became a Certified Sports Field Manager in 2002.
Warnick holds a B.S. in Horticulture from Utah State University. He was a member of the founding groups that started the Pacific Northwest Chapter and the Intermountain Chapter and is a current member of the Oregon STMA. He has been a member of STMA since 1996 and serves as the Chairman of the Editorial Committee. He has served on the STMA Bylaws, Nominations and Chapter Relations Committees. Jay is the current Treasurer of STMA’s charity, The SAFE Foundation.
Vision for STMA:
This is a great association that has established a firm foundation in education, networking and professionalism for its members. Public awareness of Sports Turf Management is increasing; however the work of too many Sports Turf Managers is still minimized and misunderstood. My vision as a board member is an initiative to educate the public that 1) Professional Sports Turf Managers are essential and contribute to the success of field -utilized sporting events; 2) Sports Turf Managers are not only aware of environmental concerns but are leaders not adversaries in stewardship of the environment, and 3) Investments made into quality Sports Turf Managers and quality fields will yield quality events.
