Officers

 

 

President Michael Buras, CSFM
Longwood Cricket Club
Chestnut Hill, MA

A staunch advocate for our industry, Mike is the incoming NESTMA president for 2010-2011. He's the head groundskeeper for the Longwood Cricket Club. He's been in the industry for 16 years and joined the board to be more involved and to support the profession of Sports Turf Management. He enjoys the challenge of a constantly changing turf management world and is always seeking new and better ways to perform his job. Mike is married to Mary Ann and has two daughters, Angela and Jennifer. He enjoys Boston sports, coaching, and golf. He loved playing baseball as a kid and even got a hitting lesson from Ted Williams.

Past-President Nick Caggiano
Nashua Parks & Recreation
Nashua, NH

Nick has been the face of NESTMA as its president for the last several years. He's the superintendent of the Nashua, NH parks department and has 30 years of industry experience. He joined the board to help the organization move forward with progressive management, and to help spread the message of Sports Turf Management. He also wants to be an advocate for students learning the sports turf profession. Nick says the rewards of his job include providing quality programs and facilities to the residents of Nashua and giving them the best recreation experience he can. Nick is married to Donna and has children Kristin (29), Dana (18), Renee (16), and one grandson Grayson (4). He's an avid gardener, enjoys fishing, golf, and carpentry projects. He enjoys free time with family and has coached girls basketball and baseball.

 

Secretary Joe Cazeault
Director of Buildings & Grounds
Noble & Greenough School
Dedham, MA

An avid supporter of NESTMA, Joe is the director of Buildings and grounds at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. He's been in the industry for 15 years and considers his job a lifestyle with a flexible schedule allowing for balance in his life that runs 24/7/365. Joe is married to Roseanne and has two children: Taylor (20) and Torrey (15). He is a self professed beach bum and likes hockey, hanging out with his family, and boating. He's been around boats and sailed in many different events around the country since he was young.

Treasurer John Cunniff
Town of Natick –DPW
Natick, MA

 

 

Special Advisors

 

Special Advisor - James A. Connelly
Evergreen Associates
Bedford, MA

A founding father and staunch NESTMA supporter, Jimmy has been in the turf management industry for 42 years and is the owner of Evergreen Associates. He joined the board to support the advancement of the sports turf management profession across New England. His best work includes giving back to the community, and supporting young folks coming up through the professional industries he's involved in. He's proud to support the less fortunate folks in society and give them hope (particularly sick children). Jimmy is married to Karen and has two daughters, Christina and Jennifer. He enjoys flying his Cirrus SR 20 and doing Angel Flights throughout New England at no cost to patients. He's on the Board of Trustees for the 4H Foundation, Board of Directors for Boston College Hockey, Pike's Peak, Board of Directors and Founder of MassAssoc of Lawn Care Professionals, Creator of MALCP Winter Lawn Care Conference, and a Member of the original Board of Directors of the NE Regional Turfgrass Foundation. He's also currently on the Research Committee of NERTF. When he's not serving the multitude of groups he's involved with, Jim likes to fly fish out west and hunt pheasants.

 

Special Advisor - Mary Owen
UMASS Turf Program
Rochdale, MA

In 1990 a group of interested individuals banded together to form a new organization for the sports turf industry in New England. That organization became the New England Sports Turf Managers Association. I was fortunate to be a part of that remarkable group. Our intent was to provide networking and education, and to increase the level of professionalism amongst sports turf managers and their industry colleagues. That goal continues to be the strong driving force behind this thriving organization today, and I am very honored to be able to serve on the Board. The people….meeting and getting to know them, connecting them with one another, learning from them, teaching them, helping them with problem solving, watching them grow…..are the very best part of my job. My horticultural passion: the cultivation of blueberries.

Special Advisor - David Pinsonneault
Public Grounds Superintendent
Lexington , MA

Dave has been actively involved in the leadership of NESTMA as well as the STMA for a number of years. He's the public grounds Supt. in the Town of Lexington, MA and has been in the Turf and Grounds management industry for 26 years. The best part of his job is seeing the end result of the various user groups enjoying the fields they play on. He joined the board to help NESTMA become a conduit for learning, partnerships, and networking in order to help ST managers do their jobs to the best of their abilities. He aims to be and advocate for ST managers across New England so they are recognized as professionals and the 'go to' people in the industry. He's married to Robin and has two children Noelle (20) and David (8). He enjoys golf, hiking, reading, watching Jeopardy, and being with his family. He's also an avid history buff with special interest in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Board of Directors

 

Tim Burns
General Member
Longwood Cricket Club
Chestnut Hill, MA

The class clown of the NESTMA board of directors, Tim is the deputy groundsman of the Longwood Cricket Club. He's been in the industry 10 years and says he joined the NESTMA board because Mary Owen asked him to ?. Actually, he enjoys awarding scholarships and working with different professors in New England! He says the best part of his job is working outside in a sporting environment. Half the time he uses his head while treating his job as a science and art. The other half of the time he physically works and gets some exercise. He's happy to not be stuck in a cubicle! Tim is married to Holly and has a new son, Henry. Tim enjoys Hiking, listening to live music, spending time in New Hampshire, looking too deeply into baseball statistics, critiquing lawns and sports fields, defending Jay Cutler and the Bears, drinking coffee, and trying to convert the uninterested into believing AC/DC is the greatest band of all time! (His co-workers hate this hobby). Unfortunately, he fails to understand that Bonn Scott was better than Brian Johnson as AC/DC's lead vocalist. Tim also wants the NESTMA membership to know that he once appeared in a TV commercial with 'The Hanson Brothers' from the movie 'Slap Shot' and insists he wasn't harmed during filming.

 

Richard Calarco
General Member
Town of Hebron P & Rt
Hebron, CT

An active leader in the industry and advocate for ST managers in Connecticut, Rich is the Director of Parks and Recreation in the Town of Hebron, CT. He's been in the industry for 35 years. He joined the board in order to work with other turf managers to improve the image of the industry and to add to education and research efforts for our constituents. Rich says the best part about his job is working with a progressive community in providing high quality parks while using sustainable practices. Rich is married to Sue and enjoys reading, walking, bike riding and spending time with family and friends. He's an alumnus of Syracuse University and finds it ironic that he lives in CT just 10 miles from UCONN

Rex Eberly
General Member
South Kingston Parks Department

A true leader among sports turf and parks managers in RI, Rex is one of  the newest members of the NESTMA board of directors.   He’s the Parks Superintendent is South Kingstown, RI and has 27 years of experience in our industry.  He’s married to Esther and they have three children, Rex Jr (21), Andrew (20), and Melissa (16).  An avid outdoor sportsman, Rex enjoys Road and Mountain Biking, Skiing, Camping, and Hiking.  He joined the board to share ideas and network with others in the field in order to advance the industry professionally.  The best part of his job is hearing the positive feedback from sports leagues who appreciate the safe and attractive facilities he and his staff provide.  He also enjoys working with the public and coordinating staff activities.  Rex recently returned from a trip to Europe and he met Lance Armstrong and the rest of the Radio Shack US Cycling team at the 2010 Tour De France!

Chris McGinty
General Member
Framingham Parks Department
Framingham, MA

 

John Ponti
General Member
Wellesley College

An energetic and charismatic leader, John is the Grounds and Athletic field specialist at Wellesley College. He’s one of our newest board members and has 12 years of experience in turf management.  John is proud to produce safe, high quality athletic fields to groups of athletes and coaches that appreciate his hard work.  He joined the board to help raise the bar for sports turf management and provide quality education and training for NESTMA members.  John is an avid outdoorsman that enjoys Downhill Skiing, Mountain Biking, Soccer, Softball, Hunting, and Fishing.  He’s an avid bow hunter and shoots archery competitively.  

 

John Schmidgall
General Member
Danvers, MA

One of the founding fathers of NESTMA, Jack has been in the industry for 40 years.  He retired from a successful career at the Danvers, MA parks dept in April of 2010 and now runs field operations at Lelacheur Park, the home of the Lowell Spinners. Jack says the best part of his job is working with people who share the same goals and passion he has for the future of athletic field management.  He re-joined the board in 2009 to contribute positively to the advancement of the Sports Turf Manager’s profession in New England. Jack is married to Kathy, and has 3 children: Roth, Hessie, and Greta. He’s also a proud Grandpa to Roth Jr, Leyla, and Bonn.  Jack has a zest for life that includes outdoor adventure, gourmet cooking, music performance, gardening, and camel farming. He’s backpacked around the world twice, visiting destinations in Europe, Asia, and Canada. He wrote music that was inspired by those adventures and even visited sports facilities during those travels.

 

Peter Thibault
General Member
CSFM, Noble & Greenough School
Dedham, MA

An ambassador for sports turf managers in the field, Peter is one of the newest members of the board. He's the turf supervisor for Noble and Greenough school in Dedham Ma and has 17 years experience in the turf industry. Pete joined the board to give the people out working in the fields a stronger voice in the association. He likes that his job offers him different challenges 24/7/365, and takes great pride in the fields he helps produce at Nobles. Pete is married to Andrea and has two sons, Peter (4) and Matthew (2). He enjoys mountain biking, motocross, salt water fishing, and traveling with his family. He also serves on the subcommittee for certified sports field managers in the STMA.

 

Vicky Wallace
Affiliated Member Representative
Valley Green

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Luccini
Affiliated Member Representative
Tom Irwin Management Products
Burlington, MA

An ardent supporter of NESTMA, Brian manages business activities and a sales territory for the Athletic Field and Grounds department of the Tom Irwin Company. He's been in the turf management industry for over 25 years. He joined the board to help ST managers increase their professional standing and value to their communities. He also wishes to be a voice for his clients and the industry at the board level. He's proud to work for what he believes is the best company in the entire green industry. His favorite part of his job is collaboratively working with TI clients and watching them succeed through smarts, hard work, and determination. Brian is married to Kim and has two daughters; Christina (9) and Molly (2). He's an avid fresh/saltwater angler, builds custom fishing rods, enjoys playing golf and loves listening to music. Brian also writes/ records music and plays guitar in Time Zero, an original rock and roll band he formed with four lifelong friends.

Matt Tobin
Affiliated Member Representative
Pioneer Mfg
Saco, ME

One of the most avid vendor participants in the association, Matt is the field Sales Representative for Pioneer Athletics and has 10 years in the industry. He joined the board to support the drive for a financially stable organization that values its membership and educates its members. He strives to help develop a professional image for ST managers in the communities they serve. He likes working with dedicated individuals who take pride in the work that they do. Matt is married to Lisa and has three children; Samuel (13), Jack (11), and Morgan (10). He enjoys camping, hunting, fishing, and family time. Matt has a secret talent for walking on his hands and can do it over the length of a gym floor!