2025 Texas Rice Festival President

Kelly Alton

Kelly Alton is the 56^th President of the Texas Rice Festival.  Kelly is the daughter of the late Walter Euguene Burrell and Sandra Ray Burrell who were generational rice farmers in Fannett, Texas.

Kelly graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and then from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Social Work.

Kelly is married to Randall Alton, and together they have four wonderful children: Lane, Reid, Mary, and Abby.  Kelly, Randy, and all of the kids have been involved in the Texas Rice Festival for many years.  Kelly has been a volunteer in several different capacities since 1997 and prior to that she was a proud rice farmer’s daughter.

Kelly follows in a great legacy of volunteers to the Texas Rice Festival, as both her mother Sandra and her sister Karen Reneau are past TRF Presidents.

Kelly proudly states: “The Texas Rice Festival is a large part of who I am.  I have loved volunteering in our community to help maintain this great tradition.  My parents were awesome role models and sustaining the farming life has always been a major goal of mine.  I am truly honored and excited to represent the Texas Rice Festival, and I pray that this tradition of honoring our local farmers and this area’s way of life continues always,  I am blessed to have been raised in this Southeast Texas community.  God Bless Texas and the Texas Rice Festival.”