Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12®

ESSA. Congress. State chiefs. School spending. Elections. Education Week reporters keep watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. Read more from this blog.

Federal

Trump Picks Ex-HP Executive for Top Management Job at Education Department

By Andrew Ujifusa — April 20, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

President Donald Trump has announced he will select a former executive for HP Inc., Holly Luong Ham, to serve as assistant secretary for management at the U.S. Department of Education.

An announcement from the Trump administration highlighted her experience as a sales executive at the computer company, which at one time was led by a rival of Trump’s for the presidency in 2016, Carly Fiorina, as well as her experience at the Center for Asian Pacific American Women, a nonprofit group that promotes leadership skills for Asian-American women. The department’s office of management oversees operations and administration at the department.

Ham does not need Senate confirmation to assume the post, the department said.

On a LinkedIn profile, Ham listed work as a program adviser for data operation on Trump’s presidential campaign last year. She also listed roles on the board of directors for Skills for Living, which helps children develop social skills and connections through play groups and other extracurricular activities. In a 2009 annual report, Skills for Living listed Chris Barbic, the former head of Tennessee’s Achievement School District, as a member of its advisory board.

Ham received two degrees from the University of Houston, including an MBA. She has listed herself as an “education specialist” in Washington since January.

The Trump administration recently announced several other appointments at the department under U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, although some are serving in an acting capacity.