February 6, 2010
Contact:
Marjory Walker
or
T. Cotton Nelson
(901) 274-9030
MEMPHIS - The Memphis-based National Cotton Ginners Association (NCGA) elected its officers for 2010 at its annual meeting here today.
The new officers are: president, Kirk Gilkey, manager of Cross Creek Gin, LLC in Corcoran, Calif.; first vice president, Kent Fountain, Surrency, GA.; second vice president, Lee Tiller, Odem, Texas; third vice president, Curtis Stewart, Dumas, Ark.; and chairman, Sledge Taylor, Como, Miss. Harrison Ashley of
In addition, Phil Hickman, manager of Valley Gin in Tornillo,
Hickman graduated from
Hickman’s first job upon graduation was with the Lummus Company as a field engineer, a position he held from 1984-90. From there, he became manager of Valley Gin. During his tenure there, many positive changes took place such as the storage and marketing of their customers’ cotton and cottonseed.
Hickman’s industry leadership includes service as: past president of the Texas Cotton Ginners Association, current president of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust, past director of the NCGA, and current ginner delegate to the National Cotton Council. Within each of those organizations, he has served on various committees.
Also honored at the NCGA meeting was Tommy Valco, who received NCGA’s Distinguished Service Award. That honor is reserved for those individuals who have provided a career of distinguished service to the
Valco, who is cotton technology transfer & education coordinator in USDA’s Office of Technology Transfer in
After earning a B.S., M.A., and Ph.D in Agricultural Engineering from