Beyond academia, Dr. Brashears has held leadership roles on boards and advisory committees, including the American Meat Science Association, the Development Council, the International Stockman's Educational Foundation, and the Protein Pact. She was a founding member of the SAFE Think Tank and has chaired the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security and the USDA's multi-state research group. Her contributions have earned national and international recognition, including induction into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, Fellow status in the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and the National Academy of Inventors, and numerous awards from leading associations. 

Carmen Rottenberg is a leader in food safety and agriculture policy, serving as Managing Director of Groundswell Strategy and a Board Member for the Partnership for Food Safety Education. Prior to launching Groundswell Strategy, Carmen served as Administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Over her 13 years with USDA, Carmen held several leadership roles and was credited with spearheading key agency initiatives including modernizing food safety inspection systems and establishing and updating pathogen performance standards. Carmen has extensive experience achieving collaboration across federal, state, and municipal agencies including with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), with state departments of agriculture and across USDA's 29 agencies and offices.

Carmen began her federal career in the Federal Trade Commission's Office of General Counsel and has experience working in both the public and private sectors. She holds a B.A. degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Hope College and a J.D. from American University's Washington College of Law.

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In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Brashears and Carmen [4:02] about:

• Why consumer food safety education remains essential to foodborne illness prevention alongside safeguards throughout food production, processing, inspection, and regulation
• How USDA approaches its role in educating consumers about safe food handling and what effective consumer food safety education looks like
• Where consumers fit within the shared responsibility for food safety across the farm-to-fork continuum
• The respective roles of government, industry, and nonprofit organizations in supporting consumers and advancing food safety education
• Key challenges in translating established, science-based food safety recommendations, including "Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill," into consistent consumer behaviors
• How social media, influencers, news outlets, government agencies, and other information sources are affecting consumer trust and food safety messaging
• Opportunities to make consumer food safety education more effective and accessible through partnerships, communication strategies, educational resources, and targeted outreach
• Which safe food handling behaviors deserve greater consumer attention, and how food safety professionals can reinforce those messages beyond National Food Safety Education Month.

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