User:La Rhea Pepper



= La Rhea Pepper = La Rhea Pepper is the Managing Director and co-founder of Textile Exchange, as well as a fifth-generation cotton farmer.

= Personal Life = Prior to Textile Exchange, Ms. Pepper and her late husband, Terry, were founding members of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) in 1993. Today, TOCMC is the largest organic cotton cooperative in the United States. Together, they built and demonstrated a sustainable business model for farmers creating strategic partnerships with various manufacturers and “value-added” programs including Cotton Plus (organic fabric) and Organic Essentials (organic personal care products).

= Career = In 1995, La Rhea served on the Administrative Council for Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and two years later was elected to the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council Steering Committee. She joined the Organic Trade Association’s Board of Directors in 1998 where she supported the creation of organic fiber processing standards and chain of custody for the industry. Continuing to serve and support advocacy for family farms in the U.S., she has also served as a board member for RAFI – the Rural Advancement Foundation International (2013-2017).

Known for her passionate and inspirational presentations at various conventions and conferences, La Rhea is often invited to write and speak on issues related to organic cotton farming, organic cotton fiber use, and industry standards.

Ms. Pepper holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Abilene Christian University and a Masters of Science. in Organizational Leadership from Lubbock Christian University.