[16] She was also an Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor for Economic Initiatives,[17] a position – demanding about 20 percent of her time[18] – that continued after her security appointment.

[18] Habib learned English at school, but her family insisted that she be raised with Egyptian culture and language,[10][30] hence, she is fluent in Arabic.

[7] Of her parents' actions, she later said, "I so desperately wanted a turkey and cheese sandwich with potato chips, and instead I always got grape leaves and hummus and falafel, not even in a cool brown paper bag.

[30] She then attended the University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts where she enrolled in the Plan II Honors program.

[30] Habib helped pay for school by working as a legislative assistant for two Republican members of the Texas State Senate: Ike Harris and Jerry E.

[37] While working at the RNC, Powell was spotted by Clay Johnson III, who would come to be in charge of hiring for the George W. Bush administration.

[38] Beginning in January 2003, Johnson moved up and elsewhere in the administration and Powell took on his role, thereby serving as the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, a senior staff position at the White House.

[8] In March 2005, Powell was nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, an assignment that included becoming an ambassador to the Arabic-speaking world.

In addition, Powell led the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,[31] in whose responsibility fell the Fulbright Program and similar foreign endeavors.

She helped create some cultural exchanges between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Iranian doctors coming west and a U.S. wrestling team going east.

[8] The Washington Post assessed that Dina Habib Powell had "played a critical role in the administration's efforts to bolster public diplomacy in the face of the wave of anti-Americanism that has swept the Arab world since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"[34] Powell oversaw the firm's impact investing business and served as the president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation beginning in 2010.

[49] Powell helped build and was responsible for all the Foundation's initiatives supporting and developing entrepreneurs around the world, including 10,000 Women and 10,000 Small Businesses.

[27] Starting January 20, 2017, Powell began serving as Senior Advisor to the President for Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and the Empowerment of Women.

[65] Powell was visible outside that scope of her role when she was part of a meeting between the president and the Saudi defense minister Mohammed bin Salman.

[62] Powell's network of contacts in the financial, corporate, and governmental worlds was considered a valuable asset for the new administration[67] and she assisted in a few of the early hires.

[62] Even after being appointed deputy national security advisor in March 2017, Powell still spent 20 percent of her time in this, her initial role.

[70] Reportedly the president was happy with Powell's performance so far and considered the idea, but in July 2017 chose Homeland Security Secretary and former General John F.

[70] On March 15, 2017, Powell was named to the post of Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy,[6] all the while retaining her economic position as well.

[75] Regarding the May 2017 report of a Donald Trump revelation of classified information to Russia, during which Powell was present in the room, she stated: "This story is false.

"[76] However this soon-to-be infamous, unannounced meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak was as it happened where Trump was later revealed to have disclosed Israeli intelligence.

[91] On December 8, 2017, it was announced that Powell would be leaving the administration in early 2018,[20][90] subsequently elaborated to be after a delayed vice presidential trip to the Middle East had been initiated.

[99] Ultimately, Powell announced to friends the time was not right for her family or Goldman Sachs,[98] and by October 11 she told the White House that she was withdrawing from consideration.

[24] However, after picked Heather Nauert withdrew from consideration in February 2019 due to nanny issues, Powell's name once again emerged as a possible choice for the position.

[104] On February 12, 2018, it was announced that Powell would be joining the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs within the bounds of the Harvard Kennedy School.

"[108] She played a key part in Goldman Sachs' role for the massive 2019 initial public offering of Saudi Aramco.

[109] The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Dina Powell McCormick has been a critical link between Goldman Sachs and sovereign-wealth funds, particularly those in the Middle East.

[113] There were reports in the press, denied by some, that Powell hinted that McCormick's rival Dr. Oz would be unelectable due to his Muslim background.

In October 2022, Powell was named the new chair of the Robin Hood Foundation, a venture philanthropy that seeks to alleviate poverty in New York.

In 2009, Powell was named a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for her role in public service and contributions to American life.