WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump will appoint Nadia Schadlow to replace Dina Powell as his deputy national security adviser, according to an administration official familiar with the decision.
Schadlow, currently a senior director of strategy on the president's National Security Council, was a driving force behind the writing of the National Security Strategy, a voluminous document released in December that outlines the administration's view of foreign policy.
But Schadlow is expected to play a less prominent role than Powell, a former Goldman Sachs executive who was seen as close with senior advisers and presidential family members Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Powell often traveled with the president on his foreign trips and was frequently the only woman in the American delegations at high-profile meetings with foreign leaders. She was also seen as a valuable ally for National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who is not thought to have a close relationship with the president.
Powell's predecessor, Ben Rhodes, had a close personal relationship with President Barack Obama, and was assigned high-level responsibilities including negotiating an agreement with Cuba to restore diplomatic relations.
Still, Schadlow brings years of Washington experience to the job. Her resume includes a stint at the State Department during the George W. Bush administration, posts at various prestigious foreign policy institutes, as well as a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. And she was hand-picked for the job by Powell, who gave her guidance on the position before she left on Jan. 12.
Schadlow's appointment was not among more than a dozen staff changes announced Friday by the White House, but is expected to come soon, according to the official.
