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The U.S. Department of Education issued two press releases this week. The first announced President Donald Trump’s senior appointments to the department. The second took action to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Just days before, Brookings hosted an event featuring former education secretaries Margaret Spellings, John King Jr., and Arne Duncan on the future of the department. Education Week said the leaders “argued that the department’s role in civil rights, data collection for accountability, and improving outcomes remain as important as ever.”
Spellings noted that if the department’s antidote to the “woke agenda” and elimination of DEI is a commitment to fundamental skill building in reading and math, transparency and accountability, closing the achievement gap, and addressing chronic absenteeism — all of which she said made up the consistent focus across all 16 years of Bush and Obama administration — then student performance could increase under this administration.
King urged education leaders and advocates to “look for opportunities even as you defend against challenges.”
The presidential actions that preceded the press releases
Prior to yesterday, Trump had nominated Linda McMahon to be secretary of the department and Penny Schwinn to be deputy secretary. Both will have to be confirmed.
He also appointed Denise Carter as acting secretary of the department. By law, acting secretaries must be appointed from within the federal agency they are serving and the appointment can last up to 210 days.
In the Brookings conversation, Duncan said the nomination of McMahon was “much less concerning than others vying for the job,” and he called Schwinn a serious, smart education leader who cares about kids. He said he is “a tiny bit hopeful” that under their leadership positive things can happen for students.
Education Week also notes that Trump announced the selection of Eric Bledsoe to serve as a special assistant to the president for domestic policy, focusing primarily on education. Bledsoe, according to the article, was previously a senior director of civics at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Political appointees round out the leadership team of the department
The first press release to be issued by the department under this administration announced a team of senior-level political appointees to support the secretary and deputy secretary. The leadership team, said the press release, “will support the implementation of President Trump’s vision to empower parents in their children’s education and restore a focus on teaching the knowledge and skills students need to succeed.”
Many of the appointees have been working at the America First Policy Institute, where McMahon has been chair of the board since 2021.
According to its website, “The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan research institute. AFPI exists to advance policies that put the American people first. Our guiding principles are liberty, free enterprise, national greatness, American military superiority, foreign-policy engagement in the American interest, and the primacy of American workers, families, and communities in all we do.”
The following background on the team was provided in the press release.
Rachel Oglesby | Chief of Staff
Rachel Oglesby most recently served as America First Policy Institute’s Chief State Action Officer & Director, Center for the American Worker. In this role, she worked to advance policies that promote worker freedom, create opportunities outside of a four-year college degree, and provide workers with the necessary skills to succeed in the modern economy, as well as leading all of AFPI’s state policy development and advocacy work. She previously worked as Chief of Policy and Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Kristi Noem in South Dakota, overseeing the implementation of the Governor’s pro-freedom agenda across all policy areas and state government agencies. Oglesby holds a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University and earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wake Forest University.
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. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, where his work focused on academic freedom and general education. Jonathan began his career in higher education teaching political science at Morehead State University, where he was an associate professor, program coordinator, and faculty regent from 2017-2019. He received his Ph.D from Boston College and holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Alberta.
Chase Forrester | Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Virginia “Chase” Forrester most recently served as the Chief Events Officer at America First Policy Institute, where she oversaw the planning and execution of 80+ high-profile events annually for AFPI’s 22 policy centers, featuring former Cabinet Officials and other distinguished speakers. Chase previously served as Operations Manager on the Trump-Pence 2020 presidential campaign, where she spearheaded all event operations for the Vice President of the United States and the Second Family. Chase worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the Senate run-off races in Georgia and as a fundraiser for Members of Congress. Chase graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a double-minor in Spanish and legal studies.
Steve Warzoha | White House Liaison
Steve Warzoha joins the U.S. Department of Education after most recently 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 both the Budget Overview and Transportation Committees. He is also an elected leader of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee. Steve has run and served in senior positions on numerous local, state, and federal campaigns. Steve comes from a family of educators and public servants and is a proud product of Greenwich Public Schools and an Eagle Scout.
Tom Wheeler | Principal Deputy General Counsel
Tom Wheeler’s prior federal service includes as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, a Senior Advisor to the White House Federal Commission on School Safety, and as a Senior Advisor/Counsel to the Secretary of Education. He has also been asked to serve on many Boards and Commissions, including as Chair of the Hate Crimes Sub-Committee for the Federal Violent Crime Reduction Task Force, a member of the Department of Justice’s Regulatory Reform Task Force, and as an advisor to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, where he worked with the CDC and HHS to develop guidelines for the safe reopening of schools and guidelines for law enforcement and jails/prisons. Prior to rejoining the U.S. Department of Education, Tom was a partner at an AM-100 law firm, where he represented federal, state, and local public entities including educational institutions and law enforcement agencies in regulatory, administrative, trial, and appellate matters in local, state and federal venues. He is a frequent author and speaker in the areas of civil rights, free speech, and Constitutional issues, improving law enforcement, and school safety.
Craig Trainor | Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Office for Civil Rights
Craig Trainor most recently served as Senior Special Counsel with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary under Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), where Mr. Trainor investigated and conducted oversight of the U.S. 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 worked as primary counsel on the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government’s investigation into the suppression of free speech and antisemitic harassment on college and university campuses, resulting in the House passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023. Previously, he served as Senior Litigation Counsel with the America First Policy Institute under former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Of Counsel with the Fairness Center, and had his own civil rights and criminal defense law practice in New York City for over a decade. Upon graduating from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, he clerked for Chief Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Mr. Trainor is admitted to practice law in the state of New York, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Madi Biedermann | Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Communications and Outreach
Madi Biedermann is an experienced education policy and communications professional with experience spanning both federal and state government and policy advocacy organizations. She most recently worked as the Chief Operating Officer at P2 Public Affairs. Prior to that, she served as an Assistant Secretary of Education for Governor Glenn Youngkin and worked as a Special Assistant and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget in the first Trump Administration. Madi received her bachelor’s degree and master of public administration from the University of Southern California.
Candice Jackson | Deputy General Counsel
Candice Jackson returns to the U.S. Department of Education to serve as Deputy General Counsel. Candice served in the first Trump Administration as Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and Deputy General Counsel, from 2017-2021. For the last few years, Candice has practiced law in Washington State and California and consulted with groups and individuals challenging the harmful effects of the concept of “gender identity” in laws and policies in schools, employment, and public accommodations. Candice is mom to girl-boy twins Madelyn and Zachary, age 11.
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. He writes and teaches about constitutional law, criminal law, and statutory interpretation, focusing in all fields on whether democratic ideals are realized in governmental practice. As a scholar and public intellectual, he has published work in the Harvard, Stanford, and University of Chicago Law Reviews, among other venues. As a practicing lawyer, he has clerked on the D.C. Circuit, Fourth Circuit, and Supreme Court of Israel, represented major corporations accused of billion-dollar wrongdoing, and, on a pro bono basis, represented children accused of homicide. As an academic, he was a tenured full professor at Northwestern Law School before lateraling to Scalia Law School. He holds a J.D. in law from Yale Law School, a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Goethe University of Frankfurt, and a B.A. in philosophy from Yale College.
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 cultivated communities of freedom-minded young professionals and local leaders. She previously co-produced award-winning feature films as director of talent and creative development at the Moving Picture Institute. A native of Tennessee, she holds a master of arts in religion from Yale Divinity School.
First action of new leadership is to eliminate DEI
The first action of the new leadership at the federal department of education was to issue a press release implementing Trump’s recent presidential actions on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The press release said the actions taken “are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.”
Notable actions taken, according to the press release, include:
- Dissolution of the Department’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, effective immediately.
- Dissolution of the Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council (EEDIAC) within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), effective immediately and pursuant to Trump’s executive order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
- Cancellation of ongoing DEI training and service contracts which total over $2.6 million.
- Withdrawal of the department’s Equity Action Plan.
- Placement of career department staff tasked with implementing the previous administration’s DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave.
- Identification for removal of over 200 web pages from the department’s website that housed DEI resources and encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs.
The press release said the department “will continue its comprehensive review of all agency programs and services to identify additional initiatives and working groups that may be advancing a divisive DEI agenda, including programs using coded or imprecise language to disguise their activity.”
It also said “careful review of all public sites and media channels for DEI language and resources will also continue.”
