Dr. Nadia Schadlow, who currently works on strategy on the staff of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, is the likely successor to Dina Powell, deputy national security adviser for strategy. Powell announced Friday that she will leave the White House early next year — the first in an expected wave of senior West Wing departures.
Why it matters: Powell was one of the few senior West Wing officials with previous White House experience, and the coming brain drain could leave President Trump with key holes. The administration has always been thinly staffed, and bringing top people in will be hard, in part because of uncertainty surrounding the Mueller investigation.