The Cotton Board has hired two new regional communication managers (RCMs) including Christi Chadwell who will serve the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, plus central and south Texas; along with Shelley Heinrich who will serve the Southern Plains covering north Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

The Cotton Board’s RCMs work to ensure that stakeholders of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program in their respective territories are aware of program activities conducted by Cotton Incorporated and administered by The Cotton Board.

RCMs visit with cotton growers on farms, speak at cotton meetings, participate in trade shows, and coordinate producer tours for Cotton Incorporated.

Chadwell currently serves at Texas Tech University as the plant and soil science department’s communications and recruiting coordinator. She has a Master’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech, and lives in Lubbock, Texas. Her Cotton Board duties start Aug. 23.  

Chadwell said, “I’m looking forward to being able to interact with producers, give them insight into the groundbreaking research and promotion being done in the industry, and working alongside so many other great organizations.”

Before joining The Cotton Board on July 17, Shelley Heinrich of Slaton, Texas was the development director for the National Sorghum Producers where she developed programs for the industry and producers.

Heinrich said, “I’m looking forward to traveling across my territory and meeting as many cotton producers as possible.”

Other Cotton Board RCMs include Monty Bain, southeast RCM covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia; and Brent Murphree, Mid-South RCM, covering Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.