Former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick has been named president and vice president of Meta

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook owner Meta has named Dina Powell McCormick, a former Trump administration adviser and longtime financial executive, as president and vice president of the tech giant.

Paul McCormick previously served on Meta’s board of directors – where the company noted she was “deeply engaged” in accelerating the push of cross-platform AI. In her new management role, Meta says Paul McCormick will help guide its overall strategy, including executing on multi-billion dollar investments.

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This news, announced on Monday, quickly received applause from US President Donald Trump. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the Republican president said the move was a “fantastic choice” by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — and noted that Paul McCormick “served the Trump administration with strength and distinction.”

Powell-McCormick’s experience in global finance, “combined with her deep relationships around the world,” make her “uniquely suited to assist Meta” in its future growth, Zuckerberg said in a statement.

Paul McCormick is a veteran of two presidential administrations and the Republican National Committee. She served as National Security Advisor at the beginning of Trump’s first term, and also held positions in the White House and the Secretary of State’s Office under President George W. Bush. She is married to US Senator David McCormick, who held senior positions in the Commerce and Treasury Departments under Bush – before joining hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and rising to become CEO.

President Donald Trump greets spectators, including Deena Powell McCormick, as they attend the NCAA men’s wrestling championships in Philadelphia on March 22, 2025. Photo by Nathan Howard/Reuters

Paul McCormick has a long background in finance. She spent 16 years in senior leadership at Goldman Sachs, but most recently served as Vice President, President and Head of Global Client Services at merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners. She has also held a number of other corporate board positions – including at oil giant ExxonMobil.

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According to a securities filing, Paul McCormick had previously resigned from Meta’s board in December, eight months after joining as a director.

The addition of Paul McCormick to Meta’s management team came amid broader efforts by California-based Meta to strengthen its ties with Trump, who was previously banned from Facebook. Like other powerful tech CEOs, Zuckerberg dined with the president at the White House and doubled down on US investment promises worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Last year, the company also appointed Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White to its board, another familiar figure in Trump’s orbit.

AP reporter Mark Levy contributed to this report from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.