(CB) – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of 13 members, 13 alternate members, and one advisor to serve on The Cotton Board. These appointees will serve three-year terms, ending December 31, 2023.
Newly appointed members are: Ben B. Guthrie, Producer – LA; and Thomas Hayes III, Producer – MS. Newly appointed alternate members are: Matthew Cauzza, Producer – CA; Justin Cave, Producer – TX; and Susanne St. Onge-Simpson, Importer – CA.
Re-appointed members are: Pace Hindsley, Producer – AR; Dustin Mancebo, Producer – CA; David Dunlow, Producer – NC; Bryan Patterson, Producer – TX; Debra Barrett, Producer – TX; Sigi Valverde, Producer – TX, Chuck Ward, Importer – NC; Scott Johnson, Importer – CA; Akiko Inui, Importer – NY; Laurie Sutandar, Importer – TX; and Debi Gregg, Importer – CA. Re-appointed alternate members are: Rafe Banks, Producer – AR; Rebecca Thom, Producer – LA; Patrick Johnson, Producer – MS; Kent Smith, Producer – NC; Michael Popp, Producer – TX; Jon Jones, Producer – TX; James McKinnon, Importer – NY; Dean Draughn, Importer – MD; Barbara Buhr, Importer – CT; and Stefanie Rotta, Importer – MI.
In addition, USDA appointed Jennifer Pisula, Importer – DE, to serve in an importer alternate position that expires December 31, 2022. Willie A. Scott, Producer – GA, was appointed to an advisor position term that will expire December 31, 2023.
“On behalf of The Cotton Board, I would like to thank these appointees for their willingness to share their time and expertise with the cotton industry,” said Jimmy Webb, Georgia cotton producer and current Chairman of The Cotton Board. “These leaders in the industry collectively represent the interests of both cotton importers and cotton producers to provide oversight and direction to the Cotton Research & Promotion Program, with the common goal of improving the profitability of the entire cotton industry,” he said. If you are interested in serving on The Cotton Board, please visit cottonboard.org/about/getting-involved to get more information on the appointment process, the time commitment of serving, the board standards, and the organizations responsible for nominations, or call the U.S. Department of Agriculture at 540-361-2726 for more information.
Source: The Cotton Board