May 17, 1971 – Blondel Averil Brinkman was born to Ethlyn Richards in Barnes Hill.

She began her early education at New Winthorpes Primary School before attending Princess Margaret Secondary School. At age 12, Brinkman experienced the tragic loss of her mother. However, a community of support, which included Catherine and Clarence Edwards, who stepped in as parents, and a few other family members, developed around her to help her cope. She went on to excel in her studies and earn a scholarship to study in the United States.

Brinkman completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics (May 1993) at the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in Huntsville, Alabama, following which she returned to Antigua. After completing a three-year stint with the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, and Housing, she returned to Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, where she earned a Master of Science Degree in Agribusiness Management (December 1998). Following this, Brinkman worked with Alabama A&M for three years before pursuing doctoral studies in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

She describes her Phd. journey as a “long, hard one, but well worth it”.  Her hard work was recognised by the academic institution in 2022 when she was presented with the Apex award from the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics. This is an award which recognises individuals with a strong connection to the department who have made outstanding contributions in their fields, and is the highest honor given by the department and represents the convergence of accomplishment in the lives of our honorees.

Upon completing her doctoral studies in 2006, Brinkman moved to Washington, DC, where she took a position with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) as an economist in the Policy Analysis and Development unit. She is still employed there today in a more senior capacity. Her responsibilities include conducting economic and policy analyses that focus on Regulatory Impacts on Small Business Entities, program performance measurement, and special studies. She also provides expert advice on socio-economic issues to program managers, senior leaders, and policymakers. She notes that this posting with APHIS has been both challenging and rewarding. It has provided her with the opportunity to work on a variety of issues that are critical to the mission of the Agency, which is to protect the health and value of American Agriculture and natural resources.

Brinkman is an active member of the American Applied Economics Association. She has chaired two sections of the organization – the Committee on the Status of Blacks in Agricultural Economics and the Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics. She is also the author of the book ‘Farmland Preservation and Conversion: An Econometric Approach and the Impact on the Northeastern United States’.