Updated 2/12/2025
With Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon awaiting Senate confirmation, the Trump administration has begun making senior appointments to the U.S. Department of Education. This page will be updated as more key personnel are announced.
Linda McMahon
Secretary of Education nominee
Linda McMahon is a business executive and political figure best known as the co-founder and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where she served as president and later CEO from 1980 to 2009, overseeing its expansion into a global enterprise. McMahon was appointed Administrator of the Small Business Administration by President Donald Trump (2017–2019). Before that, she ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut in 2010 and 2012 and briefly served on the Connecticut State Board of Education before resigning in 2010.
Penny Schwinn
Deputy Secretary of Education nominee
Penny Schwinn is an education leader and former Tennessee Commissioner of Education (2019–2023). She led the state’s $9 billion school finance overhaul, redesigned its teacher-preparation system, and launched major COVID-19 recovery programs in literacy, math, and tutoring. She also spearheaded a $500 million high school initiative to align K-12 education with postsecondary and workforce needs. Before Tennessee, Schwinn held leadership roles in other state education departments and began her career as an educator.
Nicholas Kent
Under Secretary nominee
Nicholas Kent is the Deputy Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he helps shape the Governor’s postsecondary education strategy. Previously, he served as Chief Policy Officer at Career Education Colleges and Universities, advising on higher education policy and leading the CECU Research Foundation. Kent began his career in education at a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditation agency.
Kirsten Baesler
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education nominee
Kirsten Baesler has served as North Dakota’s Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2013. Before taking office, she spent 24 years in Bismarck Public Schools as a vice principal, library media specialist, classroom teacher, and instructional assistant. She also served nine years on the Mandan School Board, including seven as president, and worked as assistant director of the North Dakota School Boards Association. Baesler serves on more than a dozen boards, including the Education Standards and Practices Board, the North Dakota Children’s Cabinet, the K-12 Education Coordination Council, and the Board for Career and Technical Education.
Kimberly Richey
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights nominee
Kimberly Richey is a teacher and attorney with nearly two decades of experience in state and federal education leadership. She has held senior roles at the Oklahoma, Virginia, and Florida departments of education and consulted for organizations like Parents Defending Education. Richey served at the U.S. Department of Education from 2004–2009 under the George W. Bush administration and again from 2017–2021 under the Trump administration.
Kevin O’Farrell
Assistant Secretary for Career and Technical Education nominee
Dr. Kevin O’Farrell is the Chancellor for the Division of Career and Adult Education at the Florida Department of Education, overseeing career and technical education, workforce training, apprenticeships, and adult education statewide. With over 18 years of experience, he has served as an instructor, executive administrator, and state education leader.
Mary Christina Riley
Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs nominee
Mary Christina Riley most recently served as Professional Staff for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce under Chairwoman Virginia Foxx. Over the past decade, she has held various education and workforce policy roles in the U.S. House of Representatives. During the Trump administration, she was a Senior Advisor in the Department of Education’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs, working to advance the administration’s higher education agenda.
Jennifer Mascott
General Counsel nominee
Jennifer Mascott is a tenured associate professor of law at Catholic University, where she founded the Separation of Powers Institute and Litigation Clinic. Previously, she was an assistant professor at Scalia Law School and co-directed the C. Boyden Gray Center. She has served in all three branches of the federal government, including roles as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. She clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit.
Other Appointments
(alphabetical)
James Bergeron
Deputy Under Secretary
James Bergeron recently served as President and CEO of the National Council of Higher Education Resources. Previously, he was Director of Education and Human Services Policy for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he managed the committee’s legislative agenda, including the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Before that, he was Legislative Director for Rep. Buck McKeon, focusing on financial aid simplification and regulatory relief within the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
Madi Biedermann
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Communications and Outreach
Madi Biedermann is an education policy and communications professional with experience in federal and state government and policy advocacy. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer at P2 Public Affairs. Previously, she was Assistant Secretary of Education for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and a Special Assistant and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump Administration.
Amber Mariano Davis
Policy Advisor, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development
Amber Mariano Davis brings extensive experience in education policy, legislative leadership, and advocacy. At 21, she became the youngest person ever elected to the Florida House of Representatives, serving three terms and chairing the Postsecondary and Lifelong Learning Subcommittee. Most recently, she was Director of State Government Affairs at Code.org, leading nationwide efforts to expand computer science education.
Hannah Ruth Earl
Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Hannah Ruth Earl is the former executive director of America’s Future, where she built communities of freedom-minded young professionals and local leaders. Previously, she co-produced award-winning feature films as director of talent and creative development at the Moving Picture Institute.
Chase Forrester
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Virginia “Chase” Forrester most recently served as Chief Events Officer at the America First Policy Institute. Previously, she was Operations Manager for the Trump-Pence 2020 campaign, overseeing event operations for the Vice President and Second Family. She also worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee during Georgia’s Senate runoffs and as a fundraiser for members of Congress.
Isaac Hampton
Special Assistant on Higher Education, Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
Isaac Hampton has served as a Legislative Assistant for HD 130 in the Missouri House of Representatives, worked as a Series 7 and 63 Financial Representative, and most recently was the Regional Election Integrity Director for the Montana GOP during the 2024 election.
Julie Hartman
Senior Advisor, Office of Communications and Outreach
Julie is a broadcast host and writer who began her career as an intern for Dennis Prager, making weekly appearances on his nationally syndicated radio show. In August 2021, she guest-hosted The Dennis Prager Show and The Mike Gallagher Show, becoming the youngest known solo guest host of a nationally syndicated radio or TV program. She later joined Salem Media Group as co-host of Dennis & Julie, host of Timeless with Julie Hartman, and standing guest host for all of Salem’s nationally syndicated talk radio programs. Julie has appeared internationally on Sky News Australia, GB News, and Vox India; delivered speeches in Romania, Hungary, and England; and written for The Wall Street Journal, The American Mind, and The Washington Examiner.
Candice Jackson
Deputy General Counsel
Candice Jackson returns to the U.S. Department of Education as Deputy General Counsel. She previously served in the Trump Administration from 2017 to 2021 as Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel.
Joshua Kleinfeld
Deputy General Counsel
Joshua Kleinfeld is the Allison & Dorothy Rouse Professor of Law and Director of the Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at George Mason University’s Scalia School of Law. A scholar and public intellectual, his work has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, and University of Chicago Law Review, among others.
Savannah Newhouse
Special Assistant, Office of Communications and Outreach
Savannah Newhouse most recently served as Communications Director for Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) re-election campaign and previously worked as Blackburn’s Press Secretary and Digital Director on Capitol Hill. She also served as Press Secretary for Senator Bill Hagerty’s (R-Tenn.) 2020 campaign.
Rachel Oglesby
Chief of Staff
Rachel Oglesby most recently served as Chief State Action Officer and Director of the Center for the American Worker at the America First Policy Institute. Previously, she was Chief of Policy and Deputy Chief of Staff for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, overseeing the implementation of the Governor’s pro-freedom agenda across state agencies.
Jonathan Pidluzny
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs
Jonathan Pidluzny most recently served as Director of the Higher Education Reform Initiative at the America First Policy Institute. Previously, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
Nicholas Stone
Special Assistant on K-12, Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
Nicholas Stone joins the Department after serving on the Trump-Vance 60th Presidential Inaugural Committee. Previously, he was a Regional Field Director for the Trump campaign in New Hampshire during the First in the Nation Primary. He also served on the Claremont, N.H., School Board, working to improve educational quality and student success.
Craig Trainor
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Office for Civil Rights
Craig Trainor most recently served as Senior Special Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee under Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), leading investigations and oversight of the Department of Justice, including its Civil Rights Division, the FBI, the Biden-Harris White House, and the Intelligence Community for civil rights and liberties abuses. He also served as primary counsel for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government’s investigation into free speech suppression and antisemitic harassment on college campuses, which led to the passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023.
Steve Warzoha
White House Liaison
Steve Warzoha joins the U.S. Department of Education after serving on the Trump-Vance Transition Team. A native of Greenwich, CT, he is a former local legislator who served on the Education Committee and as Vice Chairman of the Budget Overview and Transportation Committees. He is also an elected leader of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee.
Tom Wheeler
Principal Deputy General Counsel
Tom Wheeler’s prior federal service includes roles as Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, Senior Advisor to the White House Federal Commission on School Safety, and Senior Advisor and Counsel to the Secretary of Education.