La Rhea Pepper
Catalyst and Advocate
Co-Founder and former CEO of Textile Exchange
Creating market-driven solutions to transform the textile and apparel industry.
About LaRhea Pepper
For more than 30 years, LaRhea has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change towards preferred, organic, and regenerative fibers. She has been engaged in catalyzing action and is a life-long advocate for more sustainable practices that deliver real beneficial impacts in the apparel and textile industry.
Roots in Responsible Farming
LaRhea grew upon on a rainfed cotton farm in west Texas which has given her a unique perspective and core understanding of the importance of ensuring that farmer voices and needs are fairly represented in the transformative journey to a responsible and sustainable textile industry.
A Pioneer: Leader in Sustainable and Regenerative Practices
LaRhea Pepper is a co-founder of Textile Exchange and has served the organization over the past 21+ years initially serving as the first Chairman of the Board in 2002, shifting into Managing Director in 2005 and the Chief Executive Officer in 2020 and serving as Sr. Advisor beginning in 2024. Her unique perspective helped her lead Textile Exchange along with its pioneering Members to create preferred fiber and material strategies, strengthen integrity in the marketplace through the adoption of standards and promoting deeper engagement within the supply network.
Prior to Textile Exchange, LaRhea 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).
Commitment to Advocacy and Leadership
In 1995, LaRhea 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 US, she more recently served as chair for RAFI – the Rural Advancement Foundation International from 2015-2018. LaRhea has been serving on the CottonConnect board of directors since 2016 and the Regenerative Organic Alliance since 2018.
Educational Background
LaRhea holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Lubbock Christian University.