New, Diverse Leadership Appointed to The Cotton Board
January 28, 2016 Eight members, eight alternates and two diversity advisors have been appointed to The Cotton Board by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The cotton producers and importers appointed by the Secretary are charged with working together to oversee the Cotton Research & Promotion Program.
Cotton Board Chairman Aaron Barcellos, a producer from Los Banos, CA, was pleased with Secretary Vilsack’s appointments. saying, “These new leaders are very qualified and will be tremendous assets to The Cotton Board. Our efforts to broaden the perspectives of Board members and alternates will pay positive dividends for the Cotton Research and Promotion Program.
“I look forward to collaborating with the new appointees and gaining their insight as our Board works to move the cotton industry forward.”
The newly-appointed diversity advisors are Haywood Harrell, producer, Halifax, NC; and Ava Alcaida, producer, Parker, AZ.
Reappointed Board members are Adam Hatley, producer, Mesa, AZ; George Warbington, producer, Vienna, GA; Benjamin Boyd, producer, Sylvania, GA; Jeffery Posey, producer, Roby, TX; Mark Williams, producer, Farwell, TX; Janet Ydavoy, importer, Yardley, PA; Sonja Chapman, importer, Boonton, NJ; and John Mathews, importer, Pennington, NJ.
Reappointed alternate members are Randy Braden, producer, Midland, TX; Catherine Allen, importer, Athens, TN; and Heidi Goold, importer, Pewaukee, WI.
The newly-appointed alternate members are William Harrison, producer, Yuma, AZ.; John Ruark, Jr., producer, Bishop, GA; Jaclyn Dixon Ford, producer, Alapaha, GA; Julie Holladay, producer, Lubbock, TX; and Akiko Inui, importer, New York, NY.
The re-appointed consumer advisor is Karen Kyllo, Springfield, NJ.
All appointees will serve three-year terms.
Over the last several years, The Cotton Board has joined the industry’s certified producer organizations to encourage and support diverse representation within the Cotton Research & Promotion Program. The two new advisory positions were created to add insight on production, promotional, and research issues affecting minority, young, and under-represented cotton producers.
In a recent blog post, Cotton Board President and CEO William Gillon said, “Our Board believes diversity is simply smart business. We are not seeking a diverse membership solely for the sake of checking a box. True board diversity/inclusion offers many benefits to an organization and, in our case, the cotton industry as a whole. Board diversity addresses more than age, racial and gender diversity, but also diversity in skills, philosophies, economic circumstances, and life experiences.”
The Cotton Research and Promotion Program is designed to advance the position of cotton in the marketplace. It is funded by assessments on all domestically-produced cotton and imports of foreign-produced cotton and cotton-containing products, and is authorized by the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service oversees operations of the Board.
Source – The Cotton Board
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