Board of Directors

Kevin Sampson, chair, is chief engineer for M.P. Industries, Inc. in Tyler, Texas, where he has been employed for more than 25 years. He runs a cow-calf operation in Smith County.  Additionally, Sampson produces hay, forage, Tifton 85 sprigs and timber.  Sampson serves on the Smith County Appraisal District Agriculture Advisory Committee. He has served as a member of the Smith County Farm Bureau, as well as a resolutions committee member for the Texas Farm Bureau.  He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Sampson has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 2006.   

Roger Claxton, vice chair, owns and operates Claxton Farms, which consists primarily of a stocker cattle operation. Claxton is a retired agricultural science teacher. He serves on the board of the Hunt County Farm Bureau, Hunt County Junior Livestock Association, Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op board, a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and is a lifetime member of the Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association of Texas. He is a former board member of the Hunt County Junior Livestock Association. An elder of the Church of Christ, Claxton is a graduate of East Texas State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics. He and his wife, Kathryn, have been married for 45 years and have three grown children.  He has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 2010.

David Cannon, is the president and owner of Cannon Steel, a family owned business, in Tyler, Texas for the past 43 years. In addition, he and his wife, Noemi, own and operate East Texas Cattle, a Brangus and coastal hay operation. They also raise pure-bred poultry. He is a member of the Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association and a board member of Cannon Steel. Cannon has served on the Heritage Land Bank board since 2024. 

John Holloway is the Live Operations Complex manager for Tyson Foods in Center, Texas. He has 27 years of poultry industry experience with Tyson Foods and Pilgrim’s Pride. Holloway owns and operates six broiler houses for Tyson Foods. He also owns and manages a cow-calf operation and timber land. Holloway earned a bachelor’s degree in poultry science from Texas A&M University. He serves as chairman of the board of the Shelby Soil and Water Conservation District. Holloway also previously served on the boards of the Attoyac Bayou Steering Committee and the Nacogdoches/Angelina Ground Water District. He and his wife, Chelsea, have two sons and are members of the First Baptist Church of Center, Texas. Holloway has served on the Heritage Land Bank board since 2019.

James (JD) Parker brings more than 50 years of experience in agriculture, energy, and banking to his role as outside director of Heritage Land Bank.  JD and his wife, Karen are members of the Rockwall County Sheriff's Posse.  They have five children, ten grandchildren and one great grandson.   He is the Chief Financial Officer of HEYCO Energy Group, Inc. in Dallas and is engaged in ranching and real estate interests in the counties surrounding their home place near Greenville.  He is a Texas CPA (retired) and holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Iowa. Parker has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 2024. 

Jack S. Pullen is a Texas A&M graduate and a retired right-of-way agent with the Texas Department of Transportation. He owns a cow-calf operation in Rockwall County specializing in breeding club calves and registered Hereford cattle. In addition, he is involved in real estate and hay and small grains production. Pullen has been a self-employed rancher for over 50 years. He is a member of Rockwall Lions Club, Texas Polled Hereford Association, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Rockwall County Historical Society, Rockwall County Farm Bureau board of directors, a member of First Baptist Church of Rockwall, and a charter member of the Rockwall County A&M Club. In addition, Pullen has served as past president of RCH Water Corporation, past president of Rockwall Youth Fair, past director of Texas Hereford Association, and a former city councilman for McLendon/Chisholm. Pullen has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 1982. 

Gary W. Ray is founder and owner of MODCO Insurance Agency Inc. He has 37 years of experience insuring oil and gas wells, ranches and jets. He is a supporter and fundraiser for 4-H and FFA kids showing at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, as well as past chairman and 33-year member of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate, a founding member of the U Ol’ Goats Committee, and co-founder of the Tallest Hog at the Trough Syndicate. Ray serves on the board of directors for Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and is a member of Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club. Ray has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 2019.

Jeff Striplin is assistant water system manager – treatment for the North Texas Municipal Water District in Wylie, Texas, where he has worked for 28 years. He is also a first-generation rancher with a cow-calf operation on 115 acres and raises stocker calves, dairy heifer replacements, club lambs and replacement ewes. Striplin serves on the Hunt County Farm Bureau board, Hunt County Fair and Junior Livestock Association board, is secretary of the Bland ISD School Board and is past president of the Bland Youth Sports Association. He is also president of the Cotton Belt District of the Texas Water Utilities Association. Striplin is a former member of the Texas Association of School Boards 2020 – 2021 Legislative Advisory Council, former assistant Area 45 director for District 50 of Toastmasters International and also served on the Texas Farm Bureau resolutions committee. Striplin is a member of Texas Farm Bureau, Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, American Water Works Association, Texas Water Utilities Association, Water Environment Association of Texas, Water Environment Federation, Hunt County Junior Livestock Association, Texas Farm Bureau Natural Resources Advisory Committee and Toastmasters International. He and his wife, Samantha, have two children. Previously, Striplin served on Heritage Land Bank’s advisory and nominating Committees.  He has served on the Heritage Land Bank board since 2020.

James Tarrant Jr. has owned and operated Consolidated Wood Products in Bullard, Texas, for over 35 years. He is a former loan officer and credit analyst for North Texas PCA and AgriLand Farm Credit Services. Tarrant has served as a director for Cherokee County Electric Co-op, North Cherokee Water Corp., Texas National Bank and Cherokee County Appraisal District, and served 12 years on the Jacksonville ISD School Board, including two years as president. He’s also been a member of the Bullard Rotary Club. Among his other honors and distinctions, Tarrant is a 1989 graduate of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Program, served on the 2002 Texas A&M College of Agriculture Development Council, was a delegate to the State Republican Convention and was an adult Sunday school teacher for over 20 years. Tarrant graduated from Texas A&M University in 1979 with a degree in range science and agricultural economics. He and his wife, Meredith, have five grown children and eight grandchildren. He has served on the board of Heritage Land Bank since 2009.