Kara Brown Gillit resides in Lubbock, Texas and began competing in rodeo queen pageants at the age of nine. She won her first title as the Henderson County Livestock Show Queen when she was fourteen and later went on to compete in the Lone Star High School Rodeo Association and became the LSHSRA Queen in 1995. Kara represented the LSHSRA in San Antonio, Texas when she competed for and became Miss Rodeo Texas Teen in 1996. While attending Trinity Valley Community College in her hometown of Athens, Texas, Kara worked for stock contractor Stace Smith to organize grand entry and opening ceremonies for local rodeos. She attended Texas A&M in College Station for two years, majoring in Biomedical Science before competing for the title of Miss Rodeo Texas. Kara won the horsemanship and appearance categories at the pageant and became Miss Rodeo Texas 2001. Representing the Lone Star State, Kara became Miss Rodeo America 2002 winning the speech, appearance, and personality categories. Kara has judged at the local, state, and national levels of rodeo queen competition, assisted with presenting at rodeo queen clinics and is an alumni member of Miss Rodeo America, Inc. After completing her reign as Miss Rodeo America, Kara utilized her scholarship awarded by MRA to further her education by obtaining her Master of Physical Therapy degree from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and has been a practicing PT for the past 17 years. Kara is married to Donald, an Ag Science teacher at Brownfield ISD and together they have trained teams for Leadership and Career Development Events for FFA with the honor of advancing teams in both categories to State Contests. Kara and Donald are the proud parents of a son, Kayden and daughter, Kamryn and both are very competitive in multiple FFA competitions and in showing livestock across the state of Texas. As a family, the Gillits own and operate Gillit Genetics, where they raise competitive show pigs for FFA and 4-H members who are interested in exhibiting livestock.
Kelli Jackson Russell, Ph.D.
Dr. Kelli Jackson Russell is an Assistant Extension Professor of Rural Sociology in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Auburn University. She received her B.A. in history and political science from Wheaton College and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in rural sociology. She has been awarded over $10 million in USDA grant funding to study farm and community resiliency during her first two years at Auburn University. Kelli’s research and Extension interests center on the intersection of agriculture, people, organizations, and communities in relation to economic and social well-being—interests that were forged from her experiences in agriculture and the sport of rodeo. Kelli was an avid all-around rodeo competitor in her youth, winning a National Little Britches Rodeo Association world championship in pole bending and qualifying twice for the National High School Rodeo Finals. In 2010, she became the first woman from Mississippi to be selected as Miss Rodeo America, winning the personality, appearance, and speech categories. After serving as Miss Rodeo America and before attending graduate school, Kelli worked for four years as a congressional staffer working on agriculture and community issues for Congressman Alan Nunnelee who served on the agriculture appropriations subcommittee. This formative experience shaped her desire to work in Extension on farm and ranch-focused research. In recognition of their commitment to farming and agricultural advocacy in their careers, Kelli and her husband, David, won the 2016 District 4 Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Excellence in Agriculture Award. They later jointly served on the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation YF&R state committee, where Kelli was elected committee secretary in 2018. Her parents own Southern Cross Farm, a multigenerational cow-calf operation, and the winner of the 2020 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Southern Region Environmental Stewardship Award. Kelli is a lifetime member of the American Quarter Horse Association and nowadays saddles up to move cattle on her family farm or ride with her husband and children, Ava and Silas. Kelli and her family reside in Auburn, Alabama.
Sharon Roark
Sharon Roark grew up in rural Sulphur, Oklahoma next door to her grandparents commercial Dairy Farm, riding horses, competing in 4-H junior play days, going to the race track with her dad, and bottle feeding baby calves. Sharon is now married to Executive Committee Member Ross Roark and they operate Mitchell Ranch and Ross Roark Quarter Horses where they are in the ranching, cattle and horse business. They have trained and shown quarter horses for over twenty five years where Sharon has yet never once entered the show pen for competition but has always been the steadfast background person supporting Ross, their clients and their business. Sharon worked Retail sales for thirty years including being general manager for stores such as Reebok, Old Navy, Gap, Talbots and Cathy Eastham Fine Jewelry. Sharon is a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, the World Conformation Horse Association, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and the Parliamentarian for the Andrews Ocotillo Garden Club. Sharon is passionate about volunteering and giving back for Children’s Advocacy. She is a member of the Means Memorial Methodist Church in Andrews, Texas where she teaches Children’s Sunday school and is a regular Volunteer for the Children’s Wacky Wednesday after school program. She is a member of the Church Council, has served as a member of the SPRC Committee, Chairs the Flower Ministry and also resides on the Rainbow Room Board which is a complete volunteer program that assists and aids the work of Child Protective Services. Sharon loves spending time with their friends and customers at horse shows, watching Ross show, playing golf and watching their horses run in New Mexico. Sharon is so looking forward to the next five years with AQHA with she and Ross being a part of the American Quarter Horse Executive Committee Team and all the adventures that will come with that and all the people within the industry that they will have the opportunity to meet.
Wade Berry
Wade Berry was born in Farmingdale, South Dakota. He was raised near the Wall,South Dakota area where he competed in multiple sports including high school rodeo. He was the all-around State rodeo champion in 1974. He joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1974 as a junior in high school. Wade participated in the bareback riding, team roping, and steer wrestling. He won several titles including the all-around cowboy title at Black Hills Stock Show in 1986. Wade participated in the Montana Circuit Finals and the Badlands Circuit Finals several times in the steer wrestling and bareback riding. His most coveted qualification was when he cinched a spot in the top 15 to go to the national finals rodeo in the steer wrestling in 1987. Berry started his rodeo judging career in 1980. judging the Louisiana High School Finals for eight years also the South Dakota High School finals for 10 years and the Montana High School finals for four years. He went on to judge the National High school Rodeo finals for four years before judging the college national finals rodeo. His judging career also includes the Pro Rodeo Circuit finals, and the elusive National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
He was also awarded judge of the year in the WPRA in 2014 and 2018.
Wade was inducted into the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame and also the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center.
Wade and his wife Corina make their home in Miles City, Montana. They have three grown children, Wayne, Ace(Carrie) and Trista(Ty) and five grandchildren.
