On January 23, education secretary nominee Linda McMahon met with Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy—a key step before her committee hearing. As she awaits a hearing date, the Department of Education has announced a slew of senior-level appointees.
Among the appointees:
Rachel Oglesby – Chief of Staff
Rachel most recently led the Center for the American Worker at the America First Policy Institute, chaired by Linda McMahon. Under her leadership, the center has advocated for policies to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements for public sector jobs, create non-degree pathways to family-sustaining careers; and extend Pell grant eligibility to short-term, workforce-oriented programs that lead to a credential. She previously worked as Chief of Policy and Deputy Chief of Staff for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Jonathan Pidluzny, Ph.D. – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs
Jonathan also comes to ED from the America First Policy Institute, where he led the Higher Education Reform Initiative. Jonathan’s work has focused on protecting campus free speech and viewpoint diversity, combating the rise of anti-semitism on college campuses, pushing back on the expansion of DEI centers in higher ed, as well as postsecondary accountability and state funding models that incentivize efficiency, innovation, and better student outcomes. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Jonathan served as an Associate Professor of political science at Morehead State University, where he was elected as a faculty representative on the institution’s board of regents.
Tom Wheeler – Principal Deputy General Counsel
Former outside counsel to then-Gov. Mike Pence, Tom has held a number of roles in the prior Trump administration including 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 Counsel to the Secretary of Education Besty DeVos. His legal career has focused on civil rights, free speech, cyberbullying and school safety, and Constitutional law. He was appointed by President Biden to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Advisory Committee in 2019.
Candice Jackson – Deputy General Counsel
Candice is returning to ED; she served in the first Trump Education Department as Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and Deputy General Counsel. Most recently, her legal practice has focused on gender identity laws and policies in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
Craig Trainor – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Office for Civil Rights
Craig most recently served as Senior Special Counsel with the U.S. House Committee where he worked on issues 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, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General.’
Madi Biedermann – Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Communications and Outreach
Madi previously served as Assistant Secretary of Education with Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, and as a Special Assistant and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget in the first Trump administration.
Go deeper: To see the full list of appointees named this week, check out ED’s announcement here.