The U.S. Naval Academy has a new superintendent.

Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, the first Marine to lead the military academy in its 179-year history, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by voice vote last week. He is replacing Vice Admiral, Yvette Davids, who was the first female superintendent at the academy.

Davids continues to serve at the academy, posting pictures on her official superintendent Instagram account as recently as three days ago. She has not yet commented on the new appointment.

The Naval Academy did not immediately respond to a comment request.

Borgschulte graduated from the Naval Academy in 1991 and previously served as deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Virginia. Davids was also confirmed by the Senate for a new role. She will become deputy chief of naval operations for the Operations, Plans, Strategy and Warfighting Development, which is considered a lateral move.

Borgschulte holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and graduated from an executive leadership course from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Davids served as superintendent at the Naval Academy for less than two years, which is unusual. Superintendents are expected to lead the academy for three to four years. Under law, the superintendent of a service academy usually retires after serving in the position. The law does, however, allow for the possibility of the superintendent moving to a different role, at the discretion of the secretary of defense.

Before becoming defense secretary, Pete Hegseth had complained that the promotion of diversity and equity initiatives by service academy leaders had left the military weak and “effeminate,” the Associated Press reported.

Pentagon officials offered no explanation for replacing Davids, who is also the first Hispanic person to hold the post.

In Annapolis, faculty at the academy were told in February to avoid “divisive concepts” such as systemic racism and sexism. Trump also removed members of the academy’s Board of Visitors appointed by former President Joe Biden, deeming them too “woke” and replacing them with his own picks.

In March, the academy announced it was ending affirmative action in admissions despite previously winning a federal court case defending the practice.

The academy then made headlines in April by removing nearly 400 books on race and gender, including Maya Angelou’s memoir and a book about the Holocaust, from its Nimitz Library. After public outcry, academy officials in May returned most of the books to circulation.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.