U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Expands Board of Directors for Enhanced Sustainability Efforts: The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has appointed a refreshed and expanded Board of Directors. This move comes with 11 new board members, expanding the board from its previous 16 to now 22 members.
The decision to appoint new board members is part of a governance review initiated four years into the successful development of the program. It aligns with a natural inflexion point in the Trust Protocol’s evolution. The expansion of the board aims to provide greater and more equitable representation to international stakeholders across the entire supply chain, while also enhancing diversity within the board.
The newly appointed U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Board of Directors includes representation from various sectors:
- Four growers, each representing one of the four U.S. cotton-growing regions
- Three representatives of gins and cottonseed producers
- Four merchants and cooperatives
- Four mills and manufacturers
- Three representatives from NGOs and academia
- Four brand and retailer members
The refreshed board is structured to deliver on the Trust Protocol’s emphasis on further connecting the supply chain from the farm to the end user. It also aims to drive demand from all segments and seeks to improve impact while building program understanding among growers to encourage continued enrollment.
In order to ensure a balance of fresh perspectives and retain institutional knowledge, board members are appointed for a two-year term, renewable once. An Advisory Council, with a fluctuating number of seats, complements the board by providing ad-hoc expertise on specific topics.
Daren Abney, Executive Director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, expressed his excitement about the formation of the newly refreshed Board of Directors. He highlighted the exceptional expertise and leadership represented on the board, which spans the global supply chain. Abney emphasized that the board’s diversity of perspectives will drive value for all members across the supply chain while ensuring that cotton growers remain at the heart of the program.
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Expands Board of Directors: The new board members are:
- Cotton Growers
- Sam Whitaker, Partner, Whitaker Farms
- Gins and Cottonseed
- Larry Black, General Manager, Central Rolling Plains Gin
- Coops and Merchants
- Krista Rickman, Commercial Strategic Lead, Cargill Cotton
- Carlos Garcia, Director of Sales, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association
- Mills and Manufacturers
- Adolfo Kalach, Vice President, Kaltex Manufacturing Group
- Saima Chowdhury, Founder and CEO, Noi Solutions LLC
- NGOs and Academia
- Suzy Friedman, Senior Director of Food Policy, World Wildlife Fund
- Tyson Raper, Associate Professor, Pettigrew Cotton Specialist, University of Tennessee
- Brands and Retailers
- Katherine “Katie” O’Hare, Senior Director, Sustainability, J. Crew Group
- Agata Smeets, Head of Environment and Product Sustainability, Gap Inc.
- Virginie Cayzeele, Head of Raw Materials, Kiabi
These new members join existing board members, representing various sectors within the cotton industry.
To find out more and see the full list of board members, visit trustuscotton.org/governance/board-of-directors-v2/.
About the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a voluntary sustainability program for U.S. cotton growers and a traceability platform for all U.S. Cotton. It provides quantifiable, verifiable goals and measurement, driving continuous improvement in six key sustainability metrics. These metrics include land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy efficiency. Additionally, it offers article-level supply chain transparency to all members.
The Trust Protocol also leads the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, a transformative initiative that enhances cotton growers’ profitability, operations, and environmental stewardship, contributing to the long-term viability of the U.S. cotton industry.
