Dina Powell McCormick, a close ally of the Trump administration and the wife of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, is Meta’s new president and vice chairman.
The Facebook parent company announced her appointment Monday, making a figure with Pittsburgh ties a central decision-maker for one of the country’s largest tech firms.
Powell McCormick and her husband, Pennsylvania’s lone Republican senator, own a home in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
She was previously on Meta’s board of directors, where she’s been engaged in the pursuit of highly advanced artificial intelligence, according to the company.
Her background includes 16 years at global finance firm Goldman Sachs and a couple of stints in Washington, D.C.
She served as a senior White House advisor and assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush, and was deputy national security advisor during President Donald Trump’s first term.
She most recently held a top job at investment and advisory firm BDT & MSD Partners.
Trump took to Truth Social on Monday to congratulate Powell McCormick, praising her talents and work in his administration from 2017 to 2018.
“A great choice by Mark Z!!!” Trump remarked, referring to Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
In a statement, Zuckerberg said Powell McCormick’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.”
Joanna Doven, executive director of Pittsburgh’s AI Strike Team, said the appointments bode well for Pennsylvania. Powell McCormick was the driving force behind the July energy and artificial intelligence summit at Carnegie Mellon University, according to Doven.
“At a moment when the global race for AI infrastructure and technological supremacy is accelerating, having someone who knows Pennsylvania’s universities, energy assets, labor force and industrial capacity inside the leadership of one of the world’s most important AI companies is truly game-changing,” Doven said.