2018 Conference Speakers
Gary Adams is president and CEO of the National Cotton Council of America (NCC). Headquartered in Cordova, Tennessee, the NCC represents the seven segments of the U.S. Cotton industry (producers, ginners, warehousers, merchants, cottonseed, cooperatives, and manufacturers) with the mission of helping all segments compete effectively and profitably in global markets. Gary assumed the position of president in 2015 and previously served the NCC for 13 years as the Council’s vice president of economic and policy analysis. Gary currently represents the U.S. cotton industry as a member of the USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. He earned his B.S. and M.A. in applied mathematics from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Missouri.
Roby Brock serves as the host and executive producer of Talk Business & Politics, a multi-media news organization which reports on Arkansas business and politics. Since the organization was founded 18 years ago, Roby has interviewed more than 2,000 business and political leaders. The program’s content is delivered through several channels including TV, radio (including KASU), and the internet. In cooperation with Hendrix College, the organization conducts regular statewide polling on business and political issues. Roby is also the CEO of Natural State Media which is the parent company of Talk Business & Politics and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.
Carl Brothers is senior vice president and chief operating officer of Riceland Foods, Inc. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Riceland is a farmer-owned cooperative and the nation’s leading rice company. Carl has 53 years of experience in the rice industry and currently directs and supervises all Riceland operations related to the rice, soybeans and wheat delivered to Riceland by its farmer-members, partnerships and joint ventures. Carl is chairman of Colombia Rice Export Quota, Inc., the organization which allocates the rice tariff rate quota included in the U.S. – Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. He is currently a member of the Rice Miller’s Association board of directors, serves as secretary of the USA Rice Council, and serves on the board of the Rice Foundation.
Timothy N. Burcham was appointed dean of the A-State College of Agriculture and Technology in 2013 and dean of the College of Engineering in 2016. Tim is also the director of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture research unit at A-State. He previously served in several administrative, teaching, research, and extension positions at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Mississippi State University and the University of Tennessee. A registered professional engineer, Tim earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural engineering from Mississippi State University and his Ph.D. in agricultural engineering from Clemson University.
Greg Cole is president and CEO of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, ACA – a cooperative which serves the credit and other financial needs of members in 24 Central Arkansas counties. The cooperative currently manages over $1.2 billion in assets. Greg has 32 years of experience in the Farm Credit System and began as a student intern with the Farm Credit Bank of St. Louis. He earned his B.S.A in agricultural business & economics from the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture and is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking. Greg is a native of Harrisburg, Arkansas.
Kelly Damphousse was appointed chancellor of Arkansas State University on July 1, 2017. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in sociology at Texas A&M University and his B.S. in criminal justice at Sam Houston State. Previous positions include dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma and faculty positions at Sam Houston State and the University of Alabama. A native of Canada, Kelly’s grandfather farmed and his wife Beth’s family currently farms in Oklahoma.
Bert Greenwalt is a professor of agricultural economics at Arkansas State University, director of the A-State Agribusiness Conference, and farms with his family at Hazen, Arkansas. During 1999-2004 he was elected to two terms as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, then later served eight years as a member of the St. Louis Fed Agribusiness Council. Bert currently serves on the Agricultural Council Board of Arkansas board of directors. He earned a B.S.A. in agricultural business & economics from Arkansas State University, an M.S. from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. Bert was recognized in 2016 as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Arkansas Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness.
Jeff Johnson is vice president, head of U.S. Domestic Sales at Allenberg Cotton Company in Memphis, Tennessee. He has 27 years of experience in originating and merchandising U.S. cotton for the Louis Dreyfus Group. Jeff is past president of the Southern Cotton Shippers Association, past president of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and is currently president of the American Cotton Shippers Association. Jeff was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Advisory Committee of the Universal Cotton Standards Conference. He currently serves as a merchant delegate and director of the National Cotton Council. Jeff earned his B.S. in marketing management and M.S.A. in agriculture from Arkansas State University.
Mark Jordan is an instructor of agribusiness at Arkansas State University. Previously, Mark was director of poultry and eggs at Informa Economics where he led research of the broiler, turkey, and egg industries. Prior to joining Informa in 2007, Mark was a statistician in the Pennsylvania office of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. He was reared on a cow-calf and broiler operation near Star City, Arkansas, and maintains an ownership interest in the family farm. Mark earned his B.S.A. in agribusiness from Arkansas State University and his M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas.
Donald “Bud” Kennedy is a professor of animal science and associate dean of the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture and Technology. A native of Alvin, Texas, Bud earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education from Sam Houston State University, and his Ph.D. in animal science from Louisiana State University. He joined the A-State faculty in 1993. In 2016, the Delta Tau Alpha agriculture honor society recognized Bud with its National Outstanding Teacher and Advisor award.
David Newman is an associate professor of animal science at Arkansas State University. Prior to joining A-State in 2016, he was an associate professor and extension specialist at North Dakota State University where in 2009 he received the Myron and Muriel Johnson Excellence in Extension Award. David is a co-owner of his family’s diversified livestock farm in southern Missouri which focuses on direct marketing of pork across the U.S. He earned his B.S. in animal science with a minor in international agriculture from the University of Missouri and his Ph.D. in meat science from North Dakota State University.
Joe Outlaw is a professor and extension economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University. His work at the center involves frequent interaction with members of Congress and agricultural committee staff to provide information on the likely consequences of agricultural policy proposals and changes. Joe and his colleagues received several awards for their 2002 farm bill education program. Originally from Devine, Texas, Joe received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.
Randall E. Pope is CEO of The Westchester Group, an asset and investment management company headquartered in Champaign, IL. The company manages over $8 billion in assets from offices around the globe. Prior to joining Westchester in 1995, Randall spent 18 years with the Prudential Insurance Company of America and in 1994 became the managing director and senior portfolio manager for all of The Prudential’s real estate and debt and equity investments. Reared on his family’s farm near Bono, Arkansas, Randall earned his B.S.A. in agricultural business and economics from Arkansas State University and his M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas. Randall now lives in Jonesboro.
Julie Stackhouse is executive vice president of Supervision, Credit, Community Development, and Learning Innovation for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Prior to joining the St. Louis Fed in 2002, Julie served in numerous positions with the Federal Reserve Banks of Minneapolis and Kansas City. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drake University and is a graduate of the Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking. In 2010, Julie was named a St. Louis Business Journal “Most Influential Business Women” recipient and in 2016 was awarded the Delta Sigma Pi Career Achievement Award.
Mary Kay Thatcher is senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) where she focuses on farm programs, crop insurance, conservation, and credit issues. Prior to joining AFBF in 1982, Mary Kay served as a legislative assistant for agriculture and trade to Sen. Roger Jepsen of Iowa. She previously served in the George H.W. Bush administration as director of congressional and public affairs for the Farm Credit Administration. Reared on her family’s farm in Iowa, Mary Kay now manages a farm which produces corn, soybeans, and beef cattle.
Wes Ward was named Arkansas’ third secretary of agriculture in March 2015. A native of Lake City, he earned a B.S.A. in agricultural business at Arkansas State University, and an M.S. in agricultural economics, a J.D. and L.L.M. in agricultural and food law, all at the University of Arkansas. Wes has served over 17 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is currently serving as a Civil Affairs Officer in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Duane Weems is the live operations manager for the Peco Foods operation in northeast Arkansas. Based around a feed mill, hatchery and processing plant in Pocahontas, the operation draws birds from growers in Lawrence, Clay, Randolph, Greene and Craighead counties. Duane has been with Peco Foods since 2007 and has 26 years of experience in the poultry industry. He grew up on a poultry farm near Laurel, Mississippi, and received his B.S. in poultry science from Mississippi State University.
