News From ATA

Welcome to our New 2023 Board Members

We would like to recognize the individuals who have joined the ATA Board in 2022! Any organization is only as good as its leadership and the ATA has been blessed with wonderful members willing to serve and engage with our Association over the years. Thank you to all Board Members for their service.

Lee Fillingim – Golf

We are pleased to welcome Lee Fillingim as our new board member, representing the Golf sector of ATA.

Lee initially graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Operations Management. Discovering that he was unhappy working indoors all the time, he returned to school and earned a degree in turfgrass management! Lee has worked as assistant and superintendent at several different clubs in Georgia for twenty years before he came to Anniston Country Club.

Lee is a member of the Golf Course Superintendents of America and has previously served as President of the Alabama Chapter of the GCSA. Lee has the distinction of serving as President during 2020 when everything was turned upside down and showed great leadership during that turbulent time.

Glenn Lucas – Industry

Glenn grew up in Montevallo, AL and attended Auburn University, working as a student trainer for the football and baseball teams as a graduate assistant trainer. After receiving his master’s degree, he worked for the baseball team, charged with preparing and maintaining the field for the season and found a passion for field maintenance. In 1998, Glenn accepted a job with Southern Athletic Fields in Columbia, TN, as an outside sales representative covering Alabama and Mississippi. In 2008, he relocated to Petal, MS and continued in outside sales covering Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. April 2018, SAF was acquired by Turface Athletics and his role shifted to Regional Sales Manager to also cover Texas and eventually Oklahoma.

Throughout Glenn’s career, he has been a member in the SFMA (formerly STMA), Alabama Turfgrass Association, Mississippi Turfgrass Association, Deep South Turf Expo Board Member and Tennessee Valley STMA Board Member. Since 1999, he has been involved in coordinating the grounds crew for the SEC baseball tournament in Hoover, AL. Glenn believes educational and field days, as well as simply networking with fellow members across multiple associations, can help promote the turfgrass industry and emphasize how important safe and playable fields are for athletes.

Glenn’s hobbies include officiating football games, riding motorcycles, cooking on the smoker and spending time with his family. We welcome Glenn as our new representative for Industry!

Blake Thaxton – Sod

Blake Thaxton is the director at the Alabama Farmers Federation for the Greenhouse, Nursery, and Sod Division. He also has responsibilities as director of the Bee & Honey division and is the executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. As director he works with the members of the state committees of each division to promote and preserve the industry in the state of Alabama. Blake believes in Alabama agriculture and enjoys working with the industry to move every division forward. He will assume responsibilities as Sod representative.

Blake and has wife Katherine have four children and live in Auburn. As a family they enjoy involvement with their local church, attending Auburn University athletic events, and Blake also enjoys coaching his children’s youth sports teams. Blake holds a BS and MS in horticulture from Auburn University.