It’s been less than a month since Election Day, but President-Elect Donald Trump and his team have been working quickly to secure members of his Cabinet. Most notably, on November 23rd, President-Elect Trump announced Brooke L. Rollins of Texas as his pick for the 33rd United States Secretary of Agriculture. In his statement, Trump said Rollins’s, “commitment to support the American farmer, defense of American food self-sufficiency, and the restoration of agriculture-dependent American small towns is second to none.”
Rollins currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the America First Policy Institute. Prior to that, she served as director of the Domestic Policy Council and was an assistant to the president for strategic initiatives during the first Trump administration. She received her B.S. in Agriculture Development from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She was active in 4-H and FFA and grew up showing livestock and raising horses. Rollins resides in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband and their four children, who also participate in livestock shows.
Rollins is also closely tied with Texas Farm Bureau, winning first runner-up in the Miss Texas Farm Bureau contest when she was younger.
“We’re pleased she has a good relationship with our state Farm Bureau in Texas and hope to build on it if she’s confirmed by the Senate,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “Effective leadership at USDA is more important than ever as farmers and ranchers face a struggling agricultural economy.”
Although she has been nominated by President-Elect Trump, Rollins still has to go through a vetting process and ultimately be confirmed by the Senate.
