Texas Tech University Professor Mindy Brashears Confirmed as Under Secretary of Agriculture

Mindy Brashears, a longtime professor of food microbiology and food safety in the department of animal & food sciences at Texas Tech University, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Professor Brashears was tapped as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety in January 2019. She is expected to return to Texas Tech at the conclusion of her tenure at the Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Brashears has spent her career improving food safety standards to make an impact on public health through research, outreach, and education. Her research has centered on interventions in pre- and post-harvest environments and on the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance in animal feeding systems.

In addition to her academic department duties at Texas Tech, she was director of the university’s International Center for Food Industry Excellence. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Dr. Brashears is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where she majored in food technology. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in food microbiology from Oklahoma State University.