Mindy Brashears
The data on this page comes from a financial disclosure filed by Mindy Brashears, who was picked to be: Under Secretary of Food Safety, Department of Agriculture. It is part of a collection of thousands of ethics documents ProPublica has been collecting from across the Trump administration.
Roles Outside Government
Officials are required to disclose paid or unpaid positions they hold or recently held outside the federal government, including roles as officer, director, trustee or employee. (Form 278e, Part 1)
| Organization | Position held | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech University | Professor and Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University, 6/2001 - Present | 1 | |
| Acacia Professional Services, LLC | Co-Owner, 2/2016 - Present | Acacia Professional Services is a consulting business in which I provide food safety consulting services. The consulting business will become dormant once I am confirmed by the Senate. | 2 |
| Global Food Innovations | Co-Owner, 6/2021 - Present | This entity was founded by me and three other professors. We provided scientific consulting services. However, this entity went inactive in 2022. | 3 |
| Boar's Head Food Safety Advisory Council | Advisory Council Member, 10/2024 - Present | 4 | |
| Claxton Poultry Food Safety Advisory Group | Member of Advisory Group, 5/2021 - Present | I serve as an uncompensated member of the Claxton Chicken Food Safety Advisory Group. | 5 |
| Meat Institute Protein PACT Academic Advisory Council | Member of Advisory Council, 1/2023 - Present | I serve as an uncompensated member of the Meat Institute's Protein PACT Advisory Group. | 6 |
| International Stockmen’s Education Foundation Board of Directors. | Member of the Board of Directors, 1/2022 - Present | I serve as an uncompensated member on the Board of Directors of the International Stockmen's Educational Foundation. | 7 |
| American Meat Science Association | Member of the Board of Directors, 6/2021 - 6/2023 | When I served on the American Meat Science Association's Board of Directors, I served as an uncompensated member of its board. | 8 |
| MicroZap, Inc. | Member of Board of Directors, 3/2021 - 5/2025 | I serve as an uncompensated member of the Board of Directors of MicroZap. Microzap, Inc. develops technologies that can be used as a treatment for bread to extend shelf life. | 9 |
Employment Assets
Officials are required to disclose assets associated with their employment, including salary, retirement accounts, stocks, intellectual property and awards or prizes. (Form 278e, Part 2)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Improvement in lactic acid bacteria cultures that inhibit food-borne pathogens", Patent #07323166 (Texas Tech University) (value not readily ascertainable) | $15,001 - $50,000 | Rent or Royalties | 1 | ||
| Acacia Professional Services, LLC | $15,001 - $50,000 | $1.1M | Consulting Services | Acacia Professional Services is a food safety consulting and services company and also holds other LLC entities. The revenue is gross revenue and is from consulting fees over an 18-month period (from January 1, 2024 to June 20, 2025). Acacia Professional Services is co-owned by me and my spouse. The value reflects operating assets (a bank account), but does not represent the values of the reported underlying holdings. | 2 |
| Bottomland Prime, LLC | $500K - $1M | None (or less than $201) | Bottomland Prime is a small meat processing business. The reported dollar range reflects my ownership share, and does not reflect the total value of Bottomland Prime. | 2.1 | |
| Acacia Investment Group | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | Acacia Investment Group only has one asset, BioSecurity Technologies, a non-public company that has a value of zero. | 2.2 | |
| Texas Tech University 403(B) Tax Deferred Account | 3 | ||||
| Fidelity Contrafund Class K Shares (FCNKX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 3.1 | ||
| Fidelity Growth Company Fund Class K Shares (FGCKX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 3.2 | ||
| Fidelity Equity-Income Fund Class K (FEIKX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 3.3 | ||
| Oakmark Fund Investor Class Shares (OAKMX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 3.4 | ||
| Fidelity Stock Selector Small Cap Fund Stock Selector Small Cap Shares (FDSCX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 3.5 | ||
| Fidelity Small Cap Value Index Fund (FISVX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 3.6 | ||
| Invesco Value Opportunities Fund Class A Shares (VVOAX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 3.7 | ||
| Fidelity Overseas Fund Class K Shares (FOSKX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 3.8 | ||
| Fidelity Emerging Markets Fund Class K (FKEMX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 3.9 | ||
| Texas Tech University | $403K | Salary at Texas Tech University | The $402,937 Texas Tech salary amount reflects my salary which covers the period for all of calendar year 2024 and the first six months of 2025. | 4 | |
| Kerry Ingredients (Anticipated Honoraria) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 5 |
Employment Agreements
Officials are required to disclose agreements relating to other jobs, including what will happen with any small businesses they own during government service and any continued health care coverage, planned leaves of absence, severance or bonuses. (Form 278e, Part 3)
| Organization | Agreement | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acacia Professional Services, LLC | Acacia Professional Services, LLC will be inactive and dormant once I am confirmed by the Senate for this position. (2025-06-01) | 1 | |
| Texas Tech University | I will be on an unpaid leave of absence from Texas Tech University once I am confirmed by the Senate for this position. (2025-06-01) | 2 | |
| Texas Tech University | I will continue to participate in this defined contribution plan. The plan sponsor will not make further contributions during my appointment. (2001-06-01) | 3 | |
| Global Food Innovations | This entity became inactive in 2022. (2022-08-01) | 4 |
Compensation
Officials are required to disclose the sources of any compensation above $5,000 in a year. (Form 278e, Part 4)
| Organization | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Beef (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 1 | |
| Boars Head (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 2 | |
| Chiefline Red Angus (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 3 | |
| Hygiena (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 4 | |
| Prosur (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 5 | |
| SK8 (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 6 | |
| Fremonta (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 7 | |
| Cold Peak Food Safety Solutions, LLC (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 8 | |
| Mike McCloskey (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 9 | |
| Kerry Ingredients (Client of Acacia Professional Services, LLC) | Food Safety Consulting | 10 | |
| Texas Tech University | University Professor | 11 |
Spouse’s Assets
Officials are required to disclose their spouse’s assets, including salary and retirement accounts worth more than $1,000. (Form 278e, Part 5)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech University | Salary | 1 | |||
| Texas Tech 403(B) Retirement Account | 2 | ||||
| Fidelity Contrafund Class K Shares (FCNKX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.1 | ||
| Fidelity Growth Company Fund Class K Shares (FGCKX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.2 | ||
| Fidelity Equity-Income Fund Class K (FEIKX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.3 | ||
| Oakmark Fund Investor Class Shares (OAKMX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.4 | ||
| Fidelity Stock Selector Small Cap Fund Stock Selector Small Cap Shares (FDSCX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.5 | ||
| Fidelity Small Cap Value Index Fund (FISVX) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.6 | ||
| Invesco Value Opportunities Fund Class A Shares (VVOAX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 2.7 | ||
| Fidelity Overseas Fund Class K Shares (FOSKX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 2.8 | ||
| Fidelity Emerging Markets Fund Class K (FKEMX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 2.9 |
Other Assets and Income
Officials are required to disclose other assets and sources of investment income belonging to them, their spouse or their dependent children. These include annuities, bonds, cash, college savings plans, farms, precious metals, real estate, stocks, trusts and wills. (Form 278e, Part 6)
Liabilities
Officials are required to disclose their liabilities totaling more than $10,000, as well as any linked to their spouse or dependent children. These include mortgages, credit card debt and student loans. The interest rates and loan repayment terms are also required. (Form 278e, Part 8)
| Creditor | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOHELA | type: Student Loan, amount: $50,001 - $100,000, year-incurred: 1999, rate: 7.125%, term: 30 years | 1 | |
| MOHELA | type: Student Loan, amount: $50,001 - $100,000, year-incurred: 2005, rate: 2.625%, term: 30 years | 2 | |
| SOFI | type: Personal Loan, amount: $50,001 - $100,000, year-incurred: 2025, rate: 11.40%, term: 5 years | 3 | |
| Rocket Mortgage | type: Mortgage on Personal Residence, amount: $500,001 - $1,000,000, year-incurred: 2025, rate: 7.625%, term: 30 years | 4 | |
| EDFINANCIAL | type: Student Loan, amount: $15,001 - $50,000, year-incurred: 2024, rate: 6.625%, term: 25 years | 5 | |
| City Bank | type: Mortgage on Personal Residence, amount: $250,001 - $500,000, year-incurred: 2019, rate: 6.25%, term: 30 year | Prior mortgage. | 6 |
| Mohela (Parent Plus Loan) | type: Student Loan, amount: $100,001 - $250,000, year-incurred: 2025, rate: 7.54% (after graduation), term: 15 years | 7 |
About the Data
Most political appointees and senior officials in the executive branch are required by law to file public financial disclosure reports. These are documents that detail their financial holdings, positions they hold outside government, their spouse’s holdings, their liabilities and their recent financial transactions (such as buying or selling stock) during a defined reporting period.
The most senior officials file their disclosures with an agency called the Office of Government Ethics, and others file them with a designated ethics official within their agency. The Ethics in Government Act allows members of the public and the press to request these documents.
We’re publishing this information to give the public an important glimpse into the financial ties of a powerful and often hidden cadre of presidential appointees within the federal bureaucracy.
The main document type included in the database is the OGE Form 278e, which appointees must file when they are nominated (for Senate-confirmed appointees) or when they enter government (all others), and then annually while in the position. Another common document included is the OGE Form 278-T, also known as a periodic transaction report, which all public filers must submit within 30 days of a transaction. We are also making other ethics documents available, such as ethics agreements, certificates of divestiture and other documents we have obtained under the Ethics in Government Act.
Join us on Wednesday, April 8 for a walkthrough of ProPublica's new database of financial disclosures from Trump appointees and any potential conflicts they reveal. Register here.
