By Sarah Hossain
PCCA is well known as a leader and innovator in the cotton and textile industries, and now two of the coop’s employees have been recognized for their leadership potential.
Bryan Gregory
Bryan Gregory, vice president of textile manufacturing, and Charley Triplett, manager of grower services, have been selected to participate in the leadership programs of theNational Cotton Council and Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL), respectively.
TALL is a two-year program with members attending eight meetings, six of which take place in different cities throughout Texas. Members of the class engage in activities such as seminars, on-site tours and meetings with government and business leaders. During the second year, the class focuses on international study. This class will travel to the “Competition, Communication and Culture” conference in China.
According to its Web site, TALL is funded by dedicated individuals and institutions through private gifts and grants. In addition, each participant pays dues, and the Texas Cooperative Extension provides administrative support. Each class is comprised of 25 members, both men and women in the early stages of their careers, from every aspect of agriculture and all parts of Texas.
Charley Triplett
The program’s mission statement is to create a cadre of Texas leaders to help ensure effective understanding and encourage positive action on key issues, theories, policy, and economics that will advance the agriculture industry.
Triplett described the program as “a combination of lectures and hands-on training.” He said the program was designed to give participants the opportunity to gain experience in all of the agricultural industries in Texas, and he has gained a better perspective of Texas agriculture outside of the cotton industry.
The National Cotton Council (NCC) leadership class is comprised of 10 members participating for one year. The purpose of the program, now in its 24 year, is to give participants a better understanding of all segments of the cotton industry. DuPont Crop Protection sponsors the program.
The class began with an orientation session at the NCC headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., and over the next year, members will tour production facilities, meet with leaders within the agriculture industry and participate in research activities. Members also get to attend the NCC annual meeting and sit in on orientation activities with Cotton Incorporated, the New York Board of Trade and DuPont Crop Protection.
Gregory said he hopes to gain an understanding of the cotton industry as a whole to make better, more informed decisions. He said he already has become aware of many critical issues facing the cotton industry today.
