62nd Annual WCTA Conference & Trade Show - Presenter Bios
62nd Annual WCTA Conference and Trade Show - Presenter Bios
February 10-12, 2026, River Rock Casino Resort, Richmond, BC
Conference Educational Theme – ‘Exploring the Near-Future of Turf’
Dr. John (Trey) Rogers
Michigan State University
'The World is Watching FIFA2026'
Headlining this year’s conference is Dr. John N. Rogers, III (Trey) of Michigan State University, a legendary figure in the field of turfgrass management with globally recognized expertise and research to his credit, including technical oversight and development of the various FIFA 2026 World Cup pitches.
His substantial body of work includes over 270 national and international presentations, 230 publications, and two U.S. Patents, solidifying his standing in organizations such as the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and ASTM.
Holding the position of Professor at Michigan State University's Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences since 1988, Trey’s journey in turfgrass began at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he cultivated a passion that eventually led him to a B.S. in Agronomy from the University of Arkansas in 1982. After serving as an Assistant Superintendent at Hardscrabble, he pursued further academic milestones, earning an M.S. in Agronomy in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Agronomy from Penn State University in 1988.
With a legacy of advising and graduating over 1100 students, Trey's impact extends globally. His research at MSU focuses on performance turf renovations, turfgrass establishment, and soil modification, marking him as a key contributor to over 20 golf course renovations since 2012.
Beyond academia, his leadership roles in turf projects include the 1994 World Cup Soccer matches at the Pontiac Silverdome and the 2001-02 Spartan Stadium turfgrass conversion. His international influence is underscored by contributions to the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the 2008 UEFA Cup, and a recent commitment to FIFA for the North America World Cup 2026.
Dr. Chase Straw, Penn State University
‘Cost Analysis for Natural Grass and Artificial Turf Fields', ‘Latest Spray Application Technology’ & ‘Turf Tech: Current Trends & Future Applications’
Dr. Chase Straw earned his B.S. in Turfgrass Science from the University of Kentucky, where he gained experience managing sports fields at both the collegiate (University of Kentucky) and professional (Boston RedSox and Cincinnati Bengals) levels. He then obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Georgia.
After two years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Minnesota, he became an Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Management and Physiology at Texas A&M University in February 2020.
After nearly five years at Texas A&M, Chase joined the Penn State University Turfgrass Program in January 2025 as Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Soils and Director of the Center for Sports Surface Research. He holds a 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% extension role. His research focuses on technology-driven strategies to enhance golf courses and sports fields. Currently, he also serves as the Academic Director on the Sports Field Management Association's Board of Directors.
Dr. Scott McElroy, Auburn University
‘Autonomous Mowers’, ‘Autonomy in Turf Management' & ‘The Economics of Sportsfield Management Using Robots’
Dr. Scott McElroy is a professor at Auburn University who has dedicated the majority of his life on earth to killing weeds and make the grass underneath our feet better for all people. He received his PhD from NC State, worked at the University of Tennessee for a brief stint, and has been toiling away at all things turfgrass for the last 18 years at Auburn.
Dr. Scott conducts research and education on robotic mowers, herbicides, plant growth regulators, and miscellaneous turfgrass agronomic topics. He teaches Advanced Turfgrass Management, Chemistry and Use of Herbicides, and AgInformatics - Computer Programming for Agriculture. He has also taught Introductory Turfgrass Management and Sports Turf Management in previous years.
Dr. Charles (Chas) Schmid, Oregon State University
‘Science and Sustainability' & ‘The Facts on Frost' & 'OSU Research Update'
Dr. Chas Schmid is an Assistant Professor and turfgrass specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University where he conducts applied turfgrass research and teaches undergraduate and PACE courses. Chas is a South Dakota native who received his BS in Horticulture and his MS in Agronomy from the University of Nebraska and his PhD in Plant Biology and Pathology from Rutgers University. His research interests focus on the optimization of cultural management practices to reduce chemical inputs in fine turf. Chas spends most of his spare time hiking, playing hockey, and golfing as much as possible.
Mary Gerges, VP, Social Impact Consulting, Changemakers
‘Operationalizing Reconciliation’
more info to come...
Dr. John Dempsey, Independent Turf Researcher
‘Future of Fertilizer - Using Nanoparticles to Deliver NPK+', ‘Surprising Surfactants! Insights from 6 Years of Turfgrass Research' & ‘Grass Cutter to Agronomist, the Road to Turfgrass Professionalism’
Dr. John Dempsey is a turfgrass scientist specializing in plant pathology. His career began in the 1980s with greenkeeping, culminating in a tenure as Superintendent of The Royal Curragh, Ireland’s oldest golf course, from 1993 to 2019. He holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Turfgrass Science from Myerscough College and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of the West of England, Bristol, completed in 2016.
For the past number of years, Dr. Dempsey has conducted independent research on turfgrass disease management, nutrition, and surfactants, publishing extensively on infection processes and turf health. He has delivered presentations on his research at a variety of international conferences and seminars, addressing topics such as disease control, stress relief, defence activation, surfactant research and the role of phosphite in turfgrass. He has presented at numerous conferences and seminars in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, USA, Canada, Iceland, Japan, 14 years consecutively at BTME in the UK and the GCSAA Conferences.
Peter Sorokovsky, City of Burnaby Golf Operations
‘Secrets to Managing Quality Turf at the Busiest Golf Course in Canada’
Peter Sorokovsky’s career in the golf course construction and maintenance industry spans 35+ years, starting as an assistant irrigation installer at Predator Ridge Golf Course in 1988.
He completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, graduating from the University of British Columbia in 1992. After several years working on different golf courses, including Northview Golf and Country Club which hosted 7 PGA tour events, Peter was promoted to assistant superintendent in 1998.
He returned to university (UBC) in 2002 and was accepted into a graduate program in the Agricultural department, graduating with a Masters Degree in Soil Science in 2005.
In 2007, Peter joined the team at the City of Burnaby as the Golf Operations Superintendent where he is known for managing one of the busiest municipal operations in Canada with very little use of traditional synthetic fungicides.
Speaker TBA Golf Track2
‘topic TBA’
more info to come...
Larry Musser, PRZ Consulting
‘Maintaining High Wear Sportsfields'
Larry D. Musser, Founder & President of PRZ Sports Turf Consulting, is a national sports field design and maintenance expert with 35 plus years of conducting high wear sports field maintenance seminars via PRZ Seminar’s Athletic Field Maintenance Seminars teaching approximately 25—45 seminars per year.
Larry developed the concept of engineering sports field root zones from a maintenance point of view and has completed sports field assessments for cities, colleges and school districts all over the US.
Stan Kazymerchyk, KPU Turf Program (Retired)
Moderating Round Table Discussion ‘Determining Permissible Hours on Sportsfields’
Stan got his start in the turfgrass industry as he was finishing high school in 1971. His neighbour, who was a golf course superintendent in the Ottawa area, offered him a summer job. Stan continued over the next few summers working as a groundsman until he was awarded the position of Irrigation Technician at Prince George Golf Club. From there, Stan briefly took on the position of greens superintendent at Cowichan Golf & Country Club on Vancouver Island and then afterwards, moving back to the Ottawa area, he became the superintendent at Amberwood Village Golf Course.
While at Amberwood Village, Stan enrolled himself in Oregon State University and began his work for a degree in Turfgrass Management, graduating with honors. After that, he went to work at Beach Grove Golf Club as the Assistant Superintendent and later as the Head Superintendent at Vancouver Golf Club during the 1990’s.
From 2000 to his retirement in 2024, Stan was the lead Turf Management Instructor at Kwantlen University in Langley. For nearly two and a half decades, he passed along his enthusiasm, passion and charisma to hundreds of students, sharing with them a lifetime of experience and knowledge.
Mario Lanthier, CropHealth Advising & Research
'Safe Use of Pesticides Pre-Conference Seminar’ and ‘Safe Use of Pesticides’
Mario Lanthier, a popular speaker at WCTA, CGSA, ISA and many other conferences over the years, is back again delivering a 4-hour pre-conference seminar devoted to earning pesticide CEC’s/CEU’s for BC and Alberta applicators focusing on the two hard-to-get point categories, ‘Application Technology’ and ‘Safety and Environmental Protection’.
For those who can’t make the pre-con seminar, Mario will also deliver a shorter version of this talk on the main show program, 50% focusing on “Safety and Environment Protection” (PPE, safe handling, REI) and 50% will focus on “Application technology” (factors affecting pesticide use).
The plan is to the studies that led to the “best practices” when using pesticides and gain a better appreciation for the safety measures that are most important.
• Rinse the pesticide container three times.
• Gloves are the most important piece of personal protection.
• Re-enter after the product has dried.
Jason Steadwell, Syngenta Professional Solutions
‘How Pesticides are Evaluated for Safety & Environmental Impacts’
Jason has had roles golf business for over 30 years in both the operations and support side of the industry. For the past 6 years, his role has been turf specialist for Syngenta Professional Solutions in Western Canada.
During his tenure at Syngenta, Jason has helped launch 7 new products to the Canadian market. While bringing these innovative new tools to market for golf superintendents is fulfilling, his favorite part of the job is collaborating with turfgrass managers to help solve the problems they are confronted with and helping in whatever way possible to enable them to deliver pristine playing conditions on their properties.
Peter Isaacson, DessIsaa Horticultural Consultants
‘Need for Pesticide Use' & 'Things to Think About When Applying Pesticides’
Peter Isaacson is currently an independent horticulture industry consultant having served as the CNLA’s National IPM / Minor Use Coordinator for over a decade. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Victoria and a Master of Pest Management from Simon Fraser University. Peter’s specialty is working on IPM and pesticide issues for ornamental horticulture.
Kaylee Hansen, KayH Consulting
‘Managing Your Over-Extensions'
KayLee Hansen, our management workshop ace, has delivered presentations and workshops for us in the past and returns this year to present a short but insightful talk. Kaylee works with a half dozen industries with all levels of the organization, facilitating high quality training programs and coaching for change. She is accredited in Discrimination & Harassment prevention, Franklin Coveys 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Train the Trainer offering personalized coaching that will “Inspire, Lead and Connect” with clients from any industry.
Shauna Burnell, Waterkind Consulting
'Protecting Green Spaces with Irrigation Efficiency Programs'
Shauna Burnell owns and operates Waterkind Consulting Services Ltd. with her brother and business partner Brad Burnell.
Waterkind is celebrating 16 years in business this year; working with clients on audits, assessments, designs, training and more and always with an eye to reducing our irrigation water footprint.
Shauna has worked in the irrigation industry for almost 30 years and grew up with irrigation. She started out digging ditches with her dad Vern in the family business and spent many years in sales and admin with Van-Kel Distributors. She volunteers for environmental initiatives including riparian and shoreline cleanups, runs the Kelowna Water Smart program and is a board member with the Okanagan Xeriscape Association. She believes it is critical that we work together to improve irrigation efficiency to help protect our valuable water resources and protect the irrigated green spaces that are so integral to our communities.
Closing Presentation – The Juno Award Winning Comedian Jacob Samuel
Jacob Samuel is a comedic triple threat; a Juno award-winning stand-up comic, a gifted cartoonist, and a witty writer celebrated for his sharp and insightful humour. Renowned for his razor-sharp wit and keen observations, Jacob's comedy has graced top platforms including CBC, The Comedy Network, and Crave. Tune in to Sirius XM or CBC's "The Debaters" to catch his distinctive voice on the airwaves.
A staple at prestigious comedy festivals like Montreal Just for Laughs and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, Jacob's talent shines brightly on stage. In 2021, his outstanding work earned him the coveted Juno award for "Comedy Album of the Year," solidifying his status as one of the country’s top comedians. With Jacob Samuel, expect comedy that's not only side-splitting but also remarkably imaginative and clever.