Mindy Brashears has established herself as one of the most widely respected food safety experts in the world. As the Undersecretary of Agriculture in Food Safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2019–2021, she helped guide food safety policy for the U.S. as it navigated the restrictions and complexities brought on by COVID-19. As a scientist, Brashears focuses her research on interventions in pre-and post-harvest environments and on the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance. She has led international teams in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Australia, and Argentina. Her work has resulted in the commercialization of pre-harvest feed additives that reduce E. coli and Salmonella in cattle. Brashears earned her bachelor's degree in food technology at Texas Tech University before earning both her master's and doctoral degrees in food safety at Oklahoma State University. Her professional career began at the University of Nebraska but after five years there Brashears returned to Texas Tech as a professor with the goal of developing the top food safety program in the country. Since then, she has been named associate Vice President for research at Texas Tech, the Director of Texas Tech's International Center for Food Industry Excellence, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the Roth and Letch family Endowed Chair of Food Safety in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, housed within the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.