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 Southwestern Pennsylvania ties a central decision-maker for one of the world’s largest tech firms.
Powell McCormick and her husband, Pennsylvania’s Republican senator, own a home in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Meta did not immediately return a request for comment. TribLive directed questions to Powell McCormick through the company.
Powell McCormick served on the company’s board of directors from April to December, where she was engaged in the pursuit of highly advanced artificial intelligence, according to the company.
Her background includes 16 years at global finance firm Goldman Sachs. In 2023, she jumped to investment and advisory bank BDT & MSD Partners to become its president and vice chairman.
She’s also had a couple of stints in Washington, serving as a senior White House adviser and assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush and deputy national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term.
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. The two men have grown close since late 2024, reflecting a rightward political shift among Silicon Valley leaders.
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.”
Meta has tapped multiple other influential Republicans for C-suite roles since Trump returned to power.
Joel Kaplan, a policy adviser for Bush, was named Meta’s chief global affairs officer in January 2025. Kevin Martin, a Bush-era appointee to the Federal Communications Commission, became Kaplan’s No. 2.
By bringing on Powell McCormick, Meta gave itself a critical connection to the Senate if it attempts to regulate AI, said Jessica Ghilani, a professor of communications at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus.
“I think it’s absolutely beneficial to have the wife of a senator in a high-profile position in your company when you are hoping to stave off any regulations,” said Ghilani, whose research looks at telecommunications policy and social media platforms.
McCormick is “very proud of Dina’s accomplishments” and will adhere to all Senate ethics rules, a spokeswoman for the senator said.
AI companies don’t appear in danger of a crackdown.
Last month, the president signed an executive order blocking states from regulating AI and calling for a “minimally burdensome national policy framework.”
Most Republicans who’ve disagreed with the order have done so as a matter of states’ rights — not because of its hands-off approach to the industry.
Joanna Doven, executive director of Pittsburgh’s AI Strike Team, said the appointment bodes 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.
