John Willis has raised cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle on his Brownsville, Tenn., operation. He is board chairman of Mid-South Farmers Co-Op and a Staplcotn director.

Willis, who currently serves as president of the Cotton Foundation, is a former director of both the National Cotton Council (NCC) and the American Cotton Producers. He has served on multiple NCC committees and is a member of its Conservation Task Force. He also has been active with Cotton Council International and is a member of its export promotion and executive committees. Willis also has been active with Cotton Incorporated, the American Agriculture Movement and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. A director of the Haywood County Soil Conservation Board, Willis earned a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Janet, have two children, Martha Jo and Kelly.