Trump taps Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, South Carolina Gov. Haley for U.N. post

In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos pose for photographs at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J. Trump has chosen charter school advocate DeVos as Education Secretary in his administration. In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos pose for photographs at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J. Trump has chosen charter school advocate DeVos as Education Secretary in his administration.

By Associated Press November 23, 2016 13 min read

In this Nov. 15, 2016, file photo, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks in Orlando, Fla. President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate Haley to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

More about Trump’s team

PALM BEACH, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump has chosen South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and prominent charter school advocate Betsy DeVos as his secretary of education, the first women selected for top-level administration posts in his new administration.

Both Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation.

While some cheered Haley’s selection, despite her limited experience on the international stage, the DeVos choice faced criticism even before it was formally announced on Wednesday afternoon. Conservatives warned that DeVos, a longtime Republican donor, previously supported the Common Core education standards that Trump railed against during the campaign.

Trump called DeVos “a brilliant and passionate education advocate” in a Wednesday statement.

“Under her leadership we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families,” the incoming president said.