USDA Deputy Under Secretary encourages MSU students to ‘be authors of their own story’

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State students were encouraged to write their own story and pursue careers in agriculture and science during a Friday [March 29] lecture from Mindy M. Brashears, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety.

The Texas native discussed the successes and challenges she has faced in her career, as well as the work USDA is doing to promote women and minorities in STEM fields.

“Be the author of your own story,” Brashears said. “I often tell my scientists that if you don’t tell your story, someone else is going to tell it for you.”

Brashears joined the USDA from Texas Tech University, where she was a professor of food safety and public health and director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence. Her research program focused on improving food safety standards to make an impact on public health.

As Deputy Under Secretary, Brashears leads the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which has a mission of protecting the public’s health by preventing foodborne illness, modernizing inspection systems and policies, and achieving operational excellence. She has been nominated to serve as USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety.

“It has been a long journey to get to D.C.,” Brashears said. “I look at every day as a new opportunity to get better, learn the systems and be able to make our food supply safer. When I look back at my opportunities at the university, whether that’s with research, mentoring grad students, working with industry on validation studies and research, even all the way back to when I decided to take FFA as a freshman in high school – that all prepared me to be where I am today. Look at everything, even the small things, as something that prepares you for part of your story to be successful.”

Brashears’ visit was supported by the MSU Office of Research and Economic Development and the university’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine as part of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WAMS) program.

With funding from the WAMS program and MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, a cross-college team of MSU women faculty is working to recruit and retain women and minorities in food, agriculture and natural resources-related STEM fields. The project is led by Leslie Burger, an assistant Extension professor in MSU’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

During Friday’s lecture, Brashears highlighted some of the many women scientists in the Food Safety and Inspection Service that are working in their roles to keep the nation’s food supply safe.

“We have a lot of different backgrounds with our women and they definitely make an impact to help us make our food supply safer,” Brashears said.

The distinguished scientist was introduced Friday by MSU President Mark E. Keenum, who said it was an honor to have Brashears on campus. MSU, one of the nation’s top 10 universities for agricultural research, has a long and productive history of working with the USDA to solve problems and develop innovative solutions, Keenum noted. Keenum, who received MSU degrees in agricultural economics, was Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services before assuming the presidency at MSU in 2009.

“I think it’s important that we as a university do all we can to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics for minorities and women – to help create opportunities for great careers,” Keenum said.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.