| Grandson
of a tobacco farmer runs day-to-day operations of commission
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Tobacco cure
Virginia
Business
February
2004
Carthan
F. Currin III rarely misses an opportunity to hand out
the tobacco-leaf lapel pins he keeps in a dish on the
conference table in his Richmond office. Currin, executive
director of the state’s tobacco commission, is
not shy about supporting the industry that funds the
commission — even though that funding stems from
Virginia’s participation in a lawsuit against
the country’s largest cigarette producers.
Currin’s grandfather was a tobacco farmer, and
Currin graduated from Ferrum College in tobacco-producing
Franklin County. Prior to becoming executive director
of the tobacco commission, he was acting executive director
of Virginia’s Employment and Training Department.
He also has served on several regional economic development
boards and as a director of the Virginia Tourism Corp.
Republican Gov. James S. Gilmore III appointed Currin
in 1999 and Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner reappointed
him to the position, which currently pays $95,500 per
year. In this role, he runs an agency whose annual budget
in fiscal 2003 was $76.6 million. About 2 percent of
the money went for administrative costs.
Currin is a Republican, but he enjoys strong support
from commission members, regardless of their party affiliation.
He’s a big fan of British statesman Winston Churchill,
and books and photos of Churchill are scattered about
his office.
Undoubtedly, it takes a good deal of statesmanship to
satisfy the 31-member commission. Currin gets high marks
from Del. Joseph P. Johnson Jr., D-Abingdon. “He
has done an outstanding job of keeping things together
and on track.”
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