Brooke Rollins became the first woman in 19 years to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture when she was sworn in as the 33rd Secretary in February 2025. The small-town Texas farm girl who showed cattle in 4-H grew up to run the agency that oversees nearly one million employees and a $200 billion budget.
Born April 10, 1972, in Glen Rose, Texas, Brooke Leslie Rollins is an American attorney and political official who has served as the 33rd United States secretary of agriculture since February 2025. She’s only the second woman ever to hold the position, following Ann Veneman who served under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005.
Her journey from Future Farmers of America state officer to Cabinet secretary represents a uniquely Texas story—agriculture roots, conservative policy credentials, and strategic political relationships built over three decades.
Quick Profile
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Brooke Leslie Rollins |
| Date of Birth | April 10, 1972 |
| Age | 53 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Glen Rose, Texas |
| Education | B.S. Agricultural Development (Texas A&M, 1994), J.D. (UT Austin Law) |
| Current Position | 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture |
| Spouse | Mark Rollins (Texas A&M ’94) |
| Children | Four children |
| Residence | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Confirmed | February 13, 2025 (72-28 Senate vote) |
Growing Up on a Texas Farm
Rollins was born in Glen Rose, Texas, a small town located outside Fort Worth. She grew up on a farm. Glen Rose has a population of just over 2,000 people, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and Friday night football matters.
Her mother, Helen Kerwin, was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2024, demonstrating that public service runs in the family. Rollins was raised by her mother, with details about her father remaining undisclosed publicly.
In a 2012 interview, Rollins said her “commitment to conservative principles began when she was eight years old, watching, transfixed, as Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in 1980”. That early political awakening shaped everything that followed.
Raised by a single mother, Rollins worked in the family flower shop, which taught her “anyone can be a success if they work hard, dream big, and do everything with great integrity,” she told the Georgia Public Policy Foundation in 2012.
Education: Breaking Barriers at Texas A&M
Rollins attended Glen Rose High School where she participated in Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and was a state officer for the Texas FFA Association. These agricultural programs taught leadership, public speaking, and animal husbandry—skills that prepared her for everything ahead.
After high school, Rollins attended Texas A&M University, graduating with a B.S. in agricultural development in 1994. While at Texas A&M, Rollins was the first woman to be elected student body president in the school’s then-115-year history.
She also served as the speaker pro tempore of the Student Senate, the chair of the Texas A&M Judicial Court, as a Fish Camp counselor, and was Cotton Bowl Classic Queen. In 2007, Rollins became the first female speaker at the College Station Aggie Muster, which honors deceased Texas A&M former students.
After Texas A&M, she earned her Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. The combination of agriculture expertise and legal training created a unique skillset that few possessed.
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Husband Mark and Four Children
Rollins has four children with her husband, Mark Rollins. Mark is also a Texas A&M graduate from the class of 1994, suggesting they likely met during their college years in College Station.
Together, they have four children—two sons, Jake and Luke, and two daughters, Anna and Lily. The family maintains deep privacy about personal matters, with limited information about the children’s ages or specific activities beyond general descriptions.
Rollins and her husband, Mark, call Fort Worth, Texas home, and spend a large majority of their free time taxiing their four very active children to baseball games, cattle shows, piano lessons, and Aggie football games.
The cattle shows represent continuation of Rollins’s agricultural background—all four children participate in show cattle competitions, learning the same animal husbandry skills their mother developed through 4-H decades earlier.
The family’s commitment to Texas A&M remains strong, with regular attendance at Aggie football games and continued involvement with university activities and foundations.
Early Legal and Political Career
After law school, Rollins worked as a commercial litigator at Hughes & Luce, LLP in Dallas. She also clerked for U.S. Federal District Court Judge Barbara M. Lynn for the Northern District of Texas, gaining valuable federal court experience.
Rollins worked for Texas Governor Rick Perry in positions including deputy general counsel, ethics advisor, and policy director. These roles under Perry built her conservative policy credentials and political network.
Texas Public Policy Foundation: 15 Years of Leadership
In 2003, Wendy Gramm, a professor at Texas A&M and wife of U.S Senator Phil Gramm, tapped Rollins to run the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a conservative think tank. Rollins served as the organization’s president and CEO until 2018.
During her tenure at TPPF, the think tank grew from having a staff of three to a staff of 100. This expansion demonstrated her ability to scale organizations, fundraise effectively, and build coalitions.
In 2011, Texas Monthly named Rollins one of the 25 most powerful Texans, recognizing her influence in state policy circles despite holding no elected office.
During her time at the foundation, it advocated for the end of agriculture subsidies for farmers and opposed ethanol requirements for fuels—positions she would later navigate carefully as Agriculture Secretary.
First Trump Administration Roles
In February 2018, Rollins joined the Trump administration as the director of the Office of American Innovation and on September 6, 2018, also became the assistant to the president for strategic initiatives.
She eventually became acting director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, one of the most powerful White House policy positions. In this role, she worked on criminal justice reform, the COVID-19 response, and economic policy.
America First Policy Institute
In 2021, Rollins and Larry Kudlow co-founded America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank that helped plan the policy agenda for a second Trump administration. Rollins was the organization’s President and CEO until March 2025.
The organization essentially served as a Trump administration-in-waiting, preparing policy proposals and maintaining relationships with conservative donors and activists during the Biden years.
Becoming Agriculture Secretary
On November 23, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rollins to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins is the second woman to hold the position after Ann Veneman.
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced Rollins’ nomination in a unanimous vote on February 3, 2025. On February 13, 2025, the United States Senate confirmed Rollins as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by a 72–28 vote.
On February 13, 2025, Rollins was sworn into office as the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court building.
Major Policy Actions as Secretary
On June 23, 2025, Rollins announced an end to the “roadless rule” that was put into place by President Bill Clinton just before he left office in 2001. The rule had prevented any road construction on 58 million acres of national forest land.
On January 9, 2026, Rollins announced that effective immediately, the USDA is suspending financial awards to the state of Minnesota and city of Minneapolis, in response to “widespread and systemic fraud associated with federal benefit programs”.
These actions demonstrate her willingness to make controversial decisions that align with conservative policy priorities around natural resource use and welfare program oversight.
Net Worth and Financial Standing
Brooke Rollins has an estimated net worth of between $2 million and $5 million as of December 2025, according to analysis by Congress.net.
As president of the America First Policy Institute, she earned over $1 million, with additional income from her executive roles, public speaking engagements, and consulting opportunities.
Her wealth accumulation is modest compared to corporate executives but substantial for someone who spent most of her career in nonprofit and government service. As a Cabinet secretary, she now earns the standard federal salary for Cabinet positions, which is $235,600 annually as of 2026.
Physical Appearance and Personal Style
Rollins stands about 5 feet 6 inches (approximately 168 cm) tall. She typically appears in professional business attire—tailored suits and dresses appropriate for her Cabinet position.
Her public demeanor is polished and confident, reflecting decades of high-level meetings, public speaking, and media appearances. She projects competence and preparedness in congressional hearings and public events.
Ethnicity and Cultural Background
Brooke Rollins is White American with deep Texas roots spanning multiple generations. Her surname “Rollins” is of English origin, common among families who settled the American South.
Religious beliefs have not been extensively discussed publicly, though her conservative political alignment and Texas upbringing suggest likely Christian cultural influences. She keeps personal faith matters private while emphasizing her agricultural and policy credentials publicly.
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