Newly elected US President Donald Trump has appointed former Democratic representative turned staunch supporter Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence for his second term. As part of her job, she will oversee 18 spy agencies across the United States.

After leaving the Democratic Party in 2022, Gabbard endorsed Trump earlier this year. Gabbard, a veteran and onetime Democratic White House candidate, brings the “fearless spirit that defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community,” Trump said.

Gabbard, who previously opposed U.S. support for Ukraine, thanked the president-elect for the opportunity and added that she looked forward to getting to work.”

Now that Gabbard is all set to succeed Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence, here are five facts about her:

1. Early life

Tulsi Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981 in Leloaloa, American Samoa. When she was two years old, her family settled in Hawaii. As a teenager, she co-founded the Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, an environmental nonprofit. She completed a BSBA in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University in 2009. Her father, Mike Gabbard, switched from the Republican Party to the Democrats and is a Hawaii state senator. She is married to Abraham Williams, a cinematographer.

2. Military service

Gabbard served more than two decades in the Army National Guard. She was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. In 2005, she was honored with a Combat Medical Badge for “participation in combat operations under enemy fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III,” according to the Hawaii National Guard. Although unlike previous directors, Gabbard has not held senior government positions, she has two years of experience on the House Homeland Security Committee.

3. First Hindu elected to Congress

Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives at the age of 21, but was forced to leave after a single term following the deployment of her National Guard unit to Iraq. She was later elected to Congress, where she represented Hawaii. She became the first Hindu member of the House and was sworn in with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita. She was also the first American Samoan elected to Congress.

4. Presidential aspirations and departure from the party

In 2020, Gabbard found himself in the spotlight, seeking the Democratic nomination for president. She opposed the country’s involvement in foreign military conflicts. She later withdrew from the race and supported Joe Biden, who ultimately won the election. After almost two years, she left the Democratic Party.

5. Trump campaign

Earlier this year, Gabbard endorsed Donald Trump, who became popular among his supporters. At a rally in North Carolina in October, she officially announced her intention to become a Republican and called the current Democratic Party “completely unrecognizable.”