AUGUST 2017 The Next Chapter | Page 44

M She Story feature story Story As Told By She Magazine • Photographed by Brandon Williams CINDY GREEN embarking on a new journey H OW DOES ONE SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION FROM A THIRTY YEAR CAREER AS A COTTON BREEDER WITH A DOCTORATE LEVEL EDUCATION and extensive travel experiences in global markets to becoming a professional dog trainer? If you are Cindy Green, it is a logical next step in retirement, given her lifelong love of dogs (including a 25+ year relationship with Airedales), coupled by a career that required frequent travel and a necessity to board her four-legged family members. 44 AUGUST 2017 After earning her post-graduate degree, Cindy began her career as a cotton breeder in 1986 with the USDA-ARS, located at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence. Four years later, she transitioned to work with a small, private cotton breeding company as a commercial cotton breeder. The com- pany grew to become a publicly traded international business and was ultimately purchased by Monsanto. Cindy’s work went from directing a southeastern US breed- ing program to overseeing the testing and development of cotton varieties for global markets. Her business travels took her to many countries, including Costa Rica, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, China, Turkey, Greece and Spain. SHEMAGAZINE.COM