INDIANOLA, MS, August 13, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Woods E. Eastland with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Eastland celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Eastland concluded his career in 2013 after three years of serving as the board chairperson of the Staple Cotton Cooperative Association in Greenwood, Mississippi. As the president and chief executive officer of the Association for nearly 25 years, he experienced many career highlights during his tenure, helping the annual revenues to grow from $350 million a year to over $1 billion. Most notably, he was successful in keeping the business alive during the 2008 crisis, in which many companies in the cotton marketing industry left the business. Founded in 1921, the Staple Cotton Cooperative Association is the oldest and one of the largest cotton marketing organizations in the U.S.
In previous years, Mr. Eastland found success as a partner of Sunflower Enterprises in Doddsville, Mississippi, for 12 years. He also worked for Brunini, Grantham, Grower and Hewes, a Jackson, Mississippi, law firm, as an associate attorney and was aligned with his family's farming business. Since retiring, Mr. Eastland has been active on the board of directors as the chairperson of the executive committee and, more recently, as the president of the Delta Council in Stoneville, Mississippi, between 2018 and 2020. He was also the manager of Eastland Family LLC and Eastwood Holdings LLC and a board member for Delta Health Alliance.
A Mississippi native, Mr. Eastland has been involved in various community initiatives throughout the course of his vocational path. He served as the director of the Delta area council of the Boys Scouts of America in Clarksdale and was a board member of the BB King Museum and the YMD Water Management District. Mr. Eastland has remained active as a lay reader for the Episcopal Diocese of Jackson since 1980.
Prior to embarking upon his professional journey, Mr. Eastland attained a Bachelor of Arts at Vanderbilt University in 1967, followed by a Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of Mississippi in 1970. He was subsequently admitted to practice law by the Mississippi Bar Association during the same year. After completing his schooling, Mr. Eastland served in the U.S. Navy Reserve JAG Corps on active duty as a lieutenant, where he was involved in criminal law between 1970 and 1972.
Mr. Eastland is member of the Mississippi State Bar. He served on the Board of Governors of the New York Cotton Exchange and its successor, the New York Board of Trade, serving one year as vice-chairman. He is also a member of the National Cotton Council in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as President and Board Chairperson in 2005 and 2006. Upon his retirement from the Staple Cotton Cooperative Association, Mr. Eastland was honored with a plaque from the employees recognizing his leadership, that states 'from those who were fortunate to have experienced it.'
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