Drayton Campbell Mayers has been named president and chief executive officer of the Memphis-based Cotton Board.

“We are very pleased and excited that Drayton will be leading our staff in Memphis and governing the administrative activities of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program so that it continues to lead to increased demand for and consumption of cotton,” said Nancy Marino, Cotton Board chairman.

For the last 14 years, Mayers has been responsible for many of the implemented programs, alliances and marketing/public relations campaigns for Cotton Council International — the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council.

According to a Cotton Board news release, Mayers “has extensive international market promotion experience and has pioneered several innovative strategic partnerships with international businesses that have cooperatively led to increased sales of both U.S. raw cotton and cotton apparel.”

He began his career as marketing director with Chicago-based Mid-America International Agra-Trade Council, becoming executive director in 1984. According to the news release, “he won numerous creative awards both domestically and internationally for his resourceful advertising and marketing programs and campaigns including the Tennessee Advertising Federation's ADDY for “Best of Show” and the IABC Gold Quill Award in 2003.

He lives in Germantown, Tenn. He and his wife Martha have two children, MacLean and Sara. Mayers will begin work with the Cotton Board in early December.

The Cotton Research and Promotion Act established the Cotton Board as a quasi-governmental, non-profit entity to serve as the administrator of the Cotton Research & Promotion Program. Funded by America's cotton producers and importers through the cotton check-off, the program's research and promotion activities are conducted worldwide by Cotton Incorporated.