Staff
Program staff includes representatives from all U.S. cotton industry entities, including Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Council International and the National Cotton Council.
Program staff includes representatives from all U.S. cotton industry entities, including Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Council International and the National Cotton Council.
Gary Adams assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cotton Council in February 2015. He plays a key role in guiding the industry’s seven segments to reach consensus on critical policies affecting U.S. cotton, with the mission of helping all U.S. cotton industry segments compete effectively and profitably in global markets.
Prior to that, Gary served the Council for 13 years as the Vice President of Economic and Policy Analysis. As the Council’s chief economist, he provided economic outlooks for global cotton markets, as well as analyzing the impacts of farm and trade policies.
Gary also represents the U.S. cotton industry as a member of USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. Previously, Gary served on USDA’s Advisory Committee on Trade from 2005 through 2011 and the NASS Advisory Committee on Agricultural Statistics from 2003 through 2009.
Prior to joining the Council, Gary was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri. During his 13-year tenure at the university, Gary’s primary responsibilities included policy analysis and market outlook for the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, also known as FAPRI. While at FAPRI, Gary and his colleagues were recognized by the American Agricultural Economics Association for their distinguished policy contributions.
Gary has B.S. and M.A. degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri. Gary and his wife, Carol, have four children.
Daren Abney assumed the position of Executive Director of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol in July 2023. Daren has 15 years of international experience garnered in organizations across the apparel and fashion industry such as Better Cotton, Textile Exchange, and Lenzing Group.
As Executive Director, Daren guides the strategic vision and operation of the Trust Protocol. His focus is on supporting farmers in combating climate change through evolving agricultural innovation, textile brands and retailers in their drive to deliver more sustainably produced garments, as well as NGOs and other sustainability initiatives to determine areas of potential collaboration.
Daren has a B.A. in Advertising and Marketing from Texas Tech University, and M.A. in Business Administration from West Texas A&M University. Daren and his wife, Andrea, are raising two children in Lubbock, Texas.
Marjory Walker is an experienced Vice President of Operations working to coordinate staff, activities and programs for industry trade association. She is the Director of Operations for U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and works with all segments of the cotton supply chain, including launching the industry’s sustainability initiative in 2020. She has demonstrated history of working in the international trade and development industry.
Chad Brewer is a scientist and cotton agronomist who leads the Climate Smart Cotton program for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. With 15 years of experience in private industry and a PhD in weed ecology and biology from the University of Arkansas, he understands the complex interactions of species in an ecosystem. Chad works closely with cotton farmers to represent their interests and perspectives. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, and volunteers for a local non-profit that counsels men in difficult situations.
Tillman White is Operations Manager for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, the U.S. cotton industry’s sustainability initiative. In that role, which he began in 2021, he is responsible for grower education, enrollment, verification and engagement. He also is responsible for gin, merchant and cooperative engagement for bales in the Trust Protocol system.
Tillman, who earned a B.S. in Animal Dairy Science and a M.S. in Agriculture from Mississippi State University, grew up on his family farm in Somerville, Tenn., where he still works, feeds and sells cattle. He also works as a part-time accountant at Cumberland Optics in Somerville, his family business.
Charles “Chaz” Holt, is the Southeastern region grower enrollment specialist as part of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol’s Climate Smart Cotton Program. Chaz has worked in sustainable cropping systems and agroecology for nearly 20 years. During his career he has been a fresh vegetable producer, crop consultant, academic researcher, and an uplands conservation agronomist assisting cotton producers with upland habitat restoration and other on-farm sustainability goals.
Chaz has a B.S. in Agriculture Sciences from University of Wyoming and a M.S. in Agroecology in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University. He is married, has three children, and raises cattle with his father on their family farm.
Deepika is a passionate, innovative, enthusiastic scientist with demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate worldwide in the development of novel life sciences technologies and techniques to enhance sustainable agriculture to have a true impact that addresses challenges of climate change. She works as a sustainability consultant for the National Cotton Council and Cotton Council International.
