Dean Ethridge

Biography

A native of the Texas High Plains, Dr. Ethridge earned his B.S. degree from Texas Tech University and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. After receiving his Ph.D. degree in 1971, he worked for ten years in academia, first at the University of Georgia and then at Texas A&M University.He has conducted international research projects in South and Central America, Africa, and Asia.He served for nine years as the Director of Economic Services for the National Cotton Council of America, where he worked with all segments of the US cotton production and marketing sectors, as well as with the US fiber and textile manufacturing industries. He was deeply involved in the development of federal US cotton programs for the 1985 and 1990 Farm Bills.In the years prior to becoming the Managing Director of the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute in 1993, Dr. Ethridge served as Deputy Administrator of Policy Analysis within the US Department of Agriculture, under a Presidential appointment by George H. W. Bush.  In his current position he is responsible for directing the Center's total program of research, consulting, and educational services. 

Research Interest

His diverse research programs encompassed cotton production, ginning, textile manufacturing and marketing; fiber quality measurement and application to processing and marketing efficiency; and policy issues affecting the cotton/textile industrial complex. He has conducted international research projects in South and Central America, Africa, and Asia.