Partnership for Public Service statement on the confirmation of Brooke Rollins as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

February 18, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier after Brooke Rollins was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture: 

“As secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins will be responsible for nearly 100,000 employees, a budget of more than $200 billion and oversee programs dealing with aid to farmers, nutrition, rural development, international trade and animal disease outbreaks. We are hopeful that Secretary Rollins will work closely with and value the advice of the department’s career professionals in pursuit of policies that support the farming community and benefit the American public.”  

The Partnership’s Department of Agriculture agency performance dashboard provides insights about the department’s operations and workforce. Some key data points include:  

• 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government score and rank: 64.7 out of 100, ranking 11 out of 17 large agencies   

• Effective Leadership Score: 69.7 out of 100, ranking 12 out of 17 large agencies    

• Number of Senate-confirmed positions: 15  

The Partnership also produces and maintains several resources to assess and analyze the health of the federal government, including a political appointments tracker with The Washington Post that follows the progress of roughly 800 of President Trump’s Senate-confirmed positions. The annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government^® rankings measure employee engagement government-wide as well as at individual departments, agencies and subcomponents. Additionally, our Vision for a Better Government provides areas of focus for management reforms. 

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.     

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.         

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