The Board of Directors of Russell Corporation announced that Ed Flowers has been elected senior vice president of human resources. Flowers, who joined Russell earlier this month, will be responsible for the overall human resources function for the Corporation. He will be based in the Atlanta office and report to Jack Ward, chairman and CEO.

“We are pleased that Ed has accepted the top human resources position and know that his extensive expertise will help us in this crucial area of our operations,” said Ward. “Ed has been a human resources professional for more than 25 years and has worked in an environment with global operations. He has both experience as a human resources generalist and in a range of specific areas including human resources strategy, compensation and benefits, organizational development and performance management.”

Flowers had been global vice president of human resources for Merisant Company, the maker of Equal Sweetener, in St. Louis since the operation was spun off from Monsanto Company in 1999. Previously, he had been with Monsanto for eight years, serving as vice president of strategic staffing and vice president of human resources for both their Agriculture Sector and Dairy SBU. With the Agriculture Sector, Flowers was responsible for global human resources for a $4 billion worldwide operation with 10,000 employees.

A native of Greensboro, N.C., Flowers holds a B.A. degree in history and business administration from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.