Newly elected US President Donald Trump has announced that his campaign manager, Susan Summerall Wiles, will serve as White House chief of staff when he takes over the presidency next year.

In a statement, Trump said Wiles “just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history” and is “tough, smart, innovative and universally admired and respected.”

“It is a well-deserved honor to have Susie become the very first female Chief of Staff in the history of the United States,” he continued. “I have no doubt she will make our country proud.”

Trump’s transition team is currently working to pick top members of the next Republican administration, including the heads of all 15 executive departments, such as the secretaries of State and Defense.

In his victory speech this week, Trump referred to Wiles, 67, as “the ice girl” as she stood behind him on stage.

She mainly operates “from the back,” the president-elect said, but she is known as one of the most feared political operatives in the US.

“Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” he added in his statement Thursday, referencing his oft-repeated campaign slogan.

A profile of Politics earlier this year described Susie Wiles as feared but little known.

Less than a year after Wiles began working in politics, she joined Ronald Reagan’s campaign ahead of his 1980 election.

She went on to play a key role in transforming politics in Florida, where she lives.

In 2010, she made Rick Scott, a then-businessman with little political experience, governor of Florida in just seven months. Scott is now a U.S. Senator.

Wiles met Trump during the 2015 Republican presidential primaries and became co-chair of his campaign in Florida. In 2016 he won the state against Hillary Clinton.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who put her in charge of his successful gubernatorial race two years later, described Wiles as “the best in the business.”

Wiles worked on the Trump campaign with Chris LaCivita, a veteran of Republican politics with decades of experience.

The two worked with Trump to formulate a winning presidential primary strategy.

In her Politico profile, the 67-year-old grandmother – who is the daughter of the late footballer and broadcaster Pat Summerall – said she comes from a “traditional” political background.

“In my early career, things like manners mattered and there was an expected level of decorum,” she said, describing the Republican Party as significantly different from that of just a few decades ago.

“And so I understand that today’s Republican Party is different,” she said, referring to the Republican Party, which is also called the Grand Old Party (GOP).

“There are changes we have to live with in order to do the things we’re trying to do.”

The chief of staff is considered the president’s top assistant and plays a crucial role in the administration of any president.

They essentially act as White House managers and are responsible for assembling a president’s staff. A chief directs staff through the Executive Office of the President and oversees all daily operations and staff activities.

They also advise presidents on policy issues and are responsible for directing and overseeing policy development.