Name: David Rose
City of Residence: Nashville
County of Residence: Nash
Employment: Farmer, JB Rose & Son
Appointed by: President Pro Tempore
Appointment Date: October 30, 2013
Golden LEAF Board Leadership Roles: Personnel and Nominations Committee Chair (2016 – present)
List other community activities or leadership roles you hold.
I currently serve on the N.C. Department of Labor’s Agriculture Safety and Health Committee, the N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture’s Advisory Circle, and the N.C. Tobacco Growers Association Board of Directors.
What is your connection to rural, tobacco-dependent or economically distressed areas?
I grew up on a row crop farm about three miles south of Nashville, N.C. I raised my first crop on this farm during high school while active in Future Farmers of America (FFA). My father, brother, and I spent much of our time doing custom farm work in planting, fertilizing, and harvesting crops. After graduating high school, I continued farming a small crop while attending N.C. State University. I married my wife, Cherie, in August 1968, and graduated from N.C. State in May 1969. While farming part-time, both my wife and I began teaching in August 1969. After three years of teaching and farming, I became a full-time farmer. I currently grow cotton, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cucumbers, wheat, and tobacco.
How does your personal and/or professional life complement Golden LEAF’s mission and priorities?
I know about rural life and its economy. I have expertise in agriculture and agribusiness. I am a general contractor, co-founder and managing member of Four Seasons Contractors, LLC. I was a vocational trades teacher after graduating from college. This knowledge and expertise helps me to provide perspective on the diverse proposals before the Board of Directors.
What are you most excited about seeing happen in economic development in rural NC in the next 5-10 years?
I would like to see more opportunities for the food processing industry. While we have many food producers, we need more local processing plants to get the products to market. I would like to see the state attracting more of these type businesses to rural North Carolina. The Golden LEAF Foundation supported N.C. Food Innovation Lab at the N.C. Research Campus and the N.C. State Plant Sciences Initiative will help support the growth of these businesses.
What do you want people to know about the Golden LEAF Foundation?
I am proud to serve on the Board and appreciate that farmers are represented on the Board. The Golden LEAF Foundation does a great job of creating opportunity for job creation through providing infrastructure for new and expanding businesses. Growth of new businesses and expansion of existing industry to create new jobs is one of the most important ways to build the rural economy.