Vice President and Senior Counsel, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
Daniel Blomberg is vice president and senior counsel for Becket. Before joining Becket, he clerked for Chief Judge Alice M. Batchelder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and served as litigation counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom. Daniel’s clients have included an international order of nuns, the world’s largest religious media organization, synagogues, members of the U.S. military, religious healthcare ministries, peaceful protestors, halfway houses, religious colleges, state legislators, homeless shelters, religious business owners, an art gallery, and churches. Daniel has represented a wide variety of faith groups, including Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Hindus, Hutterites, Jews, Lutherans, Mennonites, Muslims, Presbyterians, Russian Orthodox, and Sikhs. Cases on which he has served as counsel to a party include: Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020); Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, 141 S. Ct. 63 (2020); Zubik v. Burwell, 136 S. Ct. 1557 (2016); Little Sisters of the Poor v. Sebelius, 134 S. Ct. 1022 (2014); Wheaton College v. Burwell, 134 S. Ct. 2806 (2014); Fellowship of Christian Athletes v. SJUSD, 82 F.4th 664 (9th Cir. 2023) (en banc); Singh v. Berger, 56 F.4th 88 (D.C. Cir. 2022); Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, 3 F.4th 968 (7th Cir. 2021) (en banc); Maxon v. Fuller Theological Seminary, 2021 WL 5882035 (9th Cir. 2021); Intervarsity Christian Fellowship/USA v. University of Iowa, 5 F.4th 855, 867 (8th Cir. 2021); Business Leaders in Christ v. University of Iowa, 991 F.3d 969 (8th Cir. 2021); Whole Woman’s Health v. Smith, 896 F.3d 362 (5th Cir. 2018); Lee v. Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, 903 F.3d 113 (3d Cir. 2018); Gagliardi v. TJCV, 889 F.3d 728 (11th Cir. 2018); Harvest Family Church v. FEMA, 2018 WL 386192 (5th Cir. 2018); Fratello v. Archdiocese of New York, 863 F.3d 190 (2d Cir. 2017); Eternal Word Television Network v. U.S. Dep’t of HHS, 756 F.3d 1339 (11th Cir. 2014); InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA v. Bd. of Governors of Wayne State Univ., 534 F. Supp. 3d 785 (E.D. Mich. 2021); and Singh v. Carter, 168 F. Supp. 3d 216 (D.D.C. 2016).
Daniel has been featured on CNN, Huffington Post Live, Fox News, EWTN Nightly News, and CBS Evening News.
He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Daniel clerked for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, served on a South Carolina Supreme Court task force, and interned with Judge J. Michelle Childs of the Circuit Court for the Fifth Judicial Circuit as a part of the Judicial Observation and Education program. He is a Blackstone Fellow. Daniel received his undergraduate degree from Columbia International University. He and his wife have five children and too many animals.
Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Miles practices in the areas of appeals, business litigation, and First Amendment law. In addition to representing clients in complex civil and criminal litigation and appeals, Miles advises and represents public and private universities and serves as outside general counsel to several business and educational clients. He also represents and counsels private entities and government agencies and officials, including multiple current and former governors of South Carolina and members of Congress, on issues relating to the constitutional and statutory freedoms of speech, religion, and association. His First Amendment work has been cited by the United States Supreme Court.
Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
Nick Reaves joined Becket in 2018. His practice centers on First Amendment appellate litigation. Nick has played a leading role in multiple religious freedom cases at the U.S. Supreme Court and has argued in federal appellate and trial courts across the country. He has represented individuals and organizations of many faith traditions—including Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians—in their pursuit of the fundamental right to freely practice their religion.
In 2022, Nick was appointed as a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, where he co-directs Yale Law School’s Free Exercise Clinic. His scholarly work has been published in the Yale Law Journal Forum, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy Per Curiam, the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, and the Notre Dame Law Review Reflection, among other leading legal journals. His writing has also been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Recognized as a sought-after voice on religious freedom, Nick has spoken at institutions such as the University of Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He has also provided expert testimony before both the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Before joining Becket, Nick practiced trial and appellate litigation as an associate at Jones Day and clerked for Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Nick earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the Managing Board of the Virginia Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He also graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame as a member of the Glynn Family Honors Program.
Paralegal, Becket
Matthew is a paralegal at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he's worked since 2022. He supports the attorney team with editing, legal research, and administrative duties.
Before Becket, Matthew’s legal experience included internships with the Federalist Society and the Champaign County Public Defender’s Office.
Matthew graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in Legal Studies and Philosophy. His senior honors thesis empirically evaluated the effects of state legislation on religious liberty litigation.
Outside of work, Matthew has continued studying philosophy, law, and policy. He is currently a Richard John Neuhaus Fellow with the Public Interest Fellowship. Previously, he participated in the Hertog Foundation’s The Supreme Court & American Politics cohort as a Fellow.
In his free time, Matthew enjoys volunteering at his parish, trips to the Library of Congress manuscript room, café hopping with a book in hand around the DMV, and training for the Chicago Marathon.
Director, International Center for Food Industry Excellence, Texas Tech University
Dr. Mindy Brashears is the former Under Secretary of Agriculture in Food Safety where she served the USDA as a political appointee from 2019-2021. She is currently the Associate Vice President of Research at Texas Tech University and a Professor of Food Safety and Public Health holding the Roth and Letch family Endowed Chair of Food Safety. She also serves as the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University.
She is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has 3 spinoff companies based on her work. She holds a B.S. in food technology from Texas Tech (magna cum laude) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food science from Oklahoma State University. She is married to Dr. Todd Brashears, who is a professor of agricultural education, and has three daughters, Bailey, Reagan (Jimenez) and Presley and one son-in-law, Eli Jimenez. Her research focuses on mitigation strategies in pre-and post-harvest environments and on the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance in agricultural ecosystems. Her interests are primarily in meat, poultry and vegetable products.
She also has a passion for food security and has led international research teams to numerous places across Latin America and the Caribbean to improve food safety and security in those sectors and to set up sustainable agriculture systems in developing areas. She teaches courses in food microbiology and food safety and offers industry training in food safety and security. She has received multiple awards including the IAFP Laboratorian Award, The AMSA Research and Industry/Extension Award and was named as a Future Icon in the Meat Industry by the National Provisioner Magazine.
MD
Dr. Ostroff retired from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2019.
During his 7 years at FDA, he served as Deputy Commissioner for Foods and
Veterinary Medicine, where he oversaw the agency’s food and animal health
activities of FDA, including responsibilities in the areas of food safety and
nutrition, food labeling, food and color additives, cosmetics, dietary supplements,
animal drugs and animal feed, and research to support the food and veterinary
medicine mission of FDA. Dr. Ostroff also served as FDA’s Chief Scientist and as
the agency’s Acting Commissioner on two occasions in both the Obama and
Trump administrations.
Before joining the FDA, Dr. Ostroff worked at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for more than 20 years on infectious disease
surveillance and outbreak investigations, especially management and
coordination of complex emerging infectious disease threats such as anthrax,
Ebola, West Nile virus, SARS, and avian influenza. He was in the US Public Health
Service Commissioned Corps, attaining the rank of Assistant Surgeon General
(Rear Admiral). He also worked at the Pennsylvania Department of Health as
Director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and the Commonwealth’s Acting Physician
General.
Dr. Ostroff received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University
of Pennsylvania. He currently holds adjunct professor appointments at Penn
State College of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences and the
University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 7, 2025. Alongside Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, Deputy Secretary Vaden leads the Department’s operations and implements policies that support America’s food and farm systems. A native of Union City, Tennessee, Deputy Secretary Vaden brings expertise in agricultural policy, law, and rural development. Previously, he served as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and as General Counsel of USDA. Throughout Deputy Secretary Vaden’s time as General Counsel, he led successful Supreme Court litigation, advanced regulatory reform, and supported the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Vanderbilt University. A public servant with strong agricultural roots, Deputy Secretary Vaden is committed to revitalizing rural America and ensuring an abundant, affordable, and safe U.S. food supply.
Former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, FDA
Frank Yiannas is a former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, a position he assumed in December of 2018. In that role he was the principal advisor to the FDA Commissioner in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). His leadership role within the Agency covered a broad spectrum of food safety priorities, such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products.
Prior to his time at FDA, Mr. Yiannas held leadership roles with two industry giants: Walmart and the Walt Disney Company. At Walmart, which he joined in 2008 and served for over a decade, Mr. Yiannas was the Vice President for Food Safety. In this role, he led the effort to make Walmart the first U.S. retailer to require suppliers to achieve certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked food safety schemes.
At Disney, where he worked for 19 years, he was the Director of Safety and Health. During his tenure, Disney received the prestigious Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety from the International Association for Food Protection. The recipient of numerous awards, in 2007, he received the National Science Foundation’s International Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety. He is also the recipient of the Collaboration Award by FDA in 2008 and he was named the 2015 Industry Professional Food Safety Hero Award by STOP Foodborne Illness, a consumer advocacy group.
Mr. Yiannas is a past president of the International Association for Food Protection and a past vice-chairman of the Global Food Safety Initiative. He was also an adjunct Professor in the Food Safety Program at Michigan State University, and in 2017 was awarded the MSU Outstanding Faculty Award.
A microbiologist, Mr. Yiannas received a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.
Director, International Center for Food Industry Excellence, Texas Tech University
Dr. Mindy Brashears is the former Under Secretary of Agriculture in Food Safety where she served the USDA as a political appointee from 2019-2021. She is currently the Associate Vice President of Research at Texas Tech University and a Professor of Food Safety and Public Health holding the Roth and Letch family Endowed Chair of Food Safety. She also serves as the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University.
She is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has 3 spinoff companies based on her work. She holds a B.S. in food technology from Texas Tech (magna cum laude) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food science from Oklahoma State University. She is married to Dr. Todd Brashears, who is a professor of agricultural education, and has three daughters, Bailey, Reagan (Jimenez) and Presley and one son-in-law, Eli Jimenez. Her research focuses on mitigation strategies in pre-and post-harvest environments and on the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance in agricultural ecosystems. Her interests are primarily in meat, poultry and vegetable products.
She also has a passion for food security and has led international research teams to numerous places across Latin America and the Caribbean to improve food safety and security in those sectors and to set up sustainable agriculture systems in developing areas. She teaches courses in food microbiology and food safety and offers industry training in food safety and security. She has received multiple awards including the IAFP Laboratorian Award, The AMSA Research and Industry/Extension Award and was named as a Future Icon in the Meat Industry by the National Provisioner Magazine.
MD
Dr. Ostroff retired from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2019.
During his 7 years at FDA, he served as Deputy Commissioner for Foods and
Veterinary Medicine, where he oversaw the agency’s food and animal health
activities of FDA, including responsibilities in the areas of food safety and
nutrition, food labeling, food and color additives, cosmetics, dietary supplements,
animal drugs and animal feed, and research to support the food and veterinary
medicine mission of FDA. Dr. Ostroff also served as FDA’s Chief Scientist and as
the agency’s Acting Commissioner on two occasions in both the Obama and
Trump administrations.
Before joining the FDA, Dr. Ostroff worked at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for more than 20 years on infectious disease
surveillance and outbreak investigations, especially management and
coordination of complex emerging infectious disease threats such as anthrax,
Ebola, West Nile virus, SARS, and avian influenza. He was in the US Public Health
Service Commissioned Corps, attaining the rank of Assistant Surgeon General
(Rear Admiral). He also worked at the Pennsylvania Department of Health as
Director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and the Commonwealth’s Acting Physician
General.
Dr. Ostroff received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University
of Pennsylvania. He currently holds adjunct professor appointments at Penn
State College of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences and the
University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 7, 2025. Alongside Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, Deputy Secretary Vaden leads the Department’s operations and implements policies that support America’s food and farm systems. A native of Union City, Tennessee, Deputy Secretary Vaden brings expertise in agricultural policy, law, and rural development. Previously, he served as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade and as General Counsel of USDA. Throughout Deputy Secretary Vaden’s time as General Counsel, he led successful Supreme Court litigation, advanced regulatory reform, and supported the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Vanderbilt University. A public servant with strong agricultural roots, Deputy Secretary Vaden is committed to revitalizing rural America and ensuring an abundant, affordable, and safe U.S. food supply.
Former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, FDA
Frank Yiannas is a former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, a position he assumed in December of 2018. In that role he was the principal advisor to the FDA Commissioner in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). His leadership role within the Agency covered a broad spectrum of food safety priorities, such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products.
Prior to his time at FDA, Mr. Yiannas held leadership roles with two industry giants: Walmart and the Walt Disney Company. At Walmart, which he joined in 2008 and served for over a decade, Mr. Yiannas was the Vice President for Food Safety. In this role, he led the effort to make Walmart the first U.S. retailer to require suppliers to achieve certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked food safety schemes.
At Disney, where he worked for 19 years, he was the Director of Safety and Health. During his tenure, Disney received the prestigious Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety from the International Association for Food Protection. The recipient of numerous awards, in 2007, he received the National Science Foundation’s International Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety. He is also the recipient of the Collaboration Award by FDA in 2008 and he was named the 2015 Industry Professional Food Safety Hero Award by STOP Foodborne Illness, a consumer advocacy group.
Mr. Yiannas is a past president of the International Association for Food Protection and a past vice-chairman of the Global Food Safety Initiative. He was also an adjunct Professor in the Food Safety Program at Michigan State University, and in 2017 was awarded the MSU Outstanding Faculty Award.
A microbiologist, Mr. Yiannas received a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.
Litigation Update: Rogers v. HHS & Maddonna v. HHS
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