Meta hires ex-Trump aide Dina Powell McCormick to help guide AI strategy

Meta on Monday named Dina Powell McCormick as its president and vice chairman, weeks after the former top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump resigned from the social media company’s board.

Powell McCormick, who spent 16 years in senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, has previously served as deputy national security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump in his first term, and as a senior White House adviser and assistant secretary of state under the Bush administration, reports Reuters.

Trump congratulated Powell McCormick on her appointment, in a Truth Social post, praising her as a “fantastic, and very talented, person” who served his administration with “strength and distinction.”

Meta said Powell McCormick will be a key figure in deciding the company’s strategic direction and execution.

Her appointment comes as Meta accelerates investments in frontier AI and personal superintelligence.

“Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.

The company said her responsibilities will also include spearheading efforts to forge new strategic capital partnerships and explore innovative avenues to expand Meta‘s “long-term investment capacity.”

Powell McCormick resigned from Meta‘s board in December, just eight months after joining.

Meta has been scrambling to stay relevant in Silicon Valley’s artificial-intelligence race after its Llama 4 model met with a poor reception. It committed as much as $72 billion in 2025 capital spending.

The company also announced big personnel and content moderation changes last year, largely aimed at securing a fresh start with U.S. President Donald Trump.