After weeks of speculation, the White House announced on Tuesday that Amy Gleason will be the acting head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). There had been increasing pressure on theTrump administration to reveal who was officially in charge of DOGE, especially after court documents showed that billionaire Elon Musk, who PresidentTrump had said was leading the program, actually had no control over it.
Gleason has experience in healthcare technology and worked in the first Trump administration. Her appointment to lead DOGE, which has been focused on making big budget cuts in federal agencies, has gotten a lot of attention.

Her LinkedIn profile shows that Gleason worked as a digital services expert at the United States Digital Service (USDS) from 2018 to 2021. The agency was renamed the US DOGE Service under the Trump administration. Gleason helped with the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and came back to the agency in January after Trump started his second term.

Before returning to the government, Gleason worked as the chief product officer at two healthcare startups in Nashville, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health. Both companies were started by Brad Smith, a former Trump administration health official who is also involved with the DOGE initiative.

It’s still unclear how much power Gleason has in DOGE, despite her official role. While Elon Musk has publicly led the cost-cutting program, the White House says he is just a senior adviser to President Trump, not an employee of DOGE.

A court filing earlier this month confirmed that Musk is a special government employee with a limited advisory role. However, Gleason’s name was not mentioned, sparking more questions about who is really in charge of DOGE.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had avoided questions about DOGE’s leadership until Tuesday. She said Trump asked Musk to oversee the DOGE effort, but added that both political appointees and career officials are handling the day-to-day operations of the department.

Gleason has always supported improving healthcare technology, especially in areas like electronic medical records and patient solutions. She runs a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, and advocates for juvenile myositis, a rare disease affecting her daughter.

While the White House confirmed her role, it’s still unclear how much power Gleason has in DOGE. The department’s budget cuts have led to job losses and criticism, including from former US Digital Service employees.

On Tuesday, over 20 USDS employees resigned, blaming Musk’s involvement and accusing DOGE of harming public services. Though the executive order says the DOGE leader reports to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, it’s unclear if Gleason is permanent or temporary, as her LinkedIn lists her as a senior adviser.

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