(CNN) Melania Trump is staffing up in anticipation of her second year as first lady of the United States. On Thursday, the first lady announced she has hired a director of operations, a policy director and a communications coordinator.
"I am very excited to add these quality professionals to my already stellar team," said Trump in a statement.
The hires bring the number of full-time staffers on Trump's official payroll to 12, still a relatively lean office for a first lady one year into her tenure. Michelle Obama and Laura Bush both had approximately 25 staffers by the time their husbands left office.
In October, Trump's communications director Stephanie Grisham discussed the first lady's bare bones employment strategy, telling Fox News, "as with all things that she does, she is being very deliberate in her hiring, focusing on quality over quantity."
First lady Melania Trump
First lady Melania Trump accompanies her husband, US President Donald Trump, for a visit to the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday, June 6. It was the first time the first lady
was seen in public since undergoing benign kidney surgery in May.
Melania Trump
speaks to the spouses of US governors at a White House luncheon in February. Among the topics she touched on were cyberbullying and the opioid epidemic. She also acknowledged the students around the country who have been fighting the gun lobby since the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Trump arrives for her husband's State of the Union address in January.
Trump speaks at an October ceremony after
donating her inaugural gown to the National Museum of American History. It will be part of the museum's First Ladies Collection.
The Trumps arrive at Paris' Orly Airport in July. They were invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the country's Bastille Day celebrations.
Trump, seated fourth from left, plays with children during a July visit to the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland. She was joined by Polish first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who is in the pink jacket. The Trumps
were visiting Poland ahead of a G20 summit in Germany.
The Trumps arrive at the White House with their son, Barron, in June 2017. Melania and Barron
were moving in. They had spent the last few months in New York so Barron could finish out his school year.
Melania Trump arrives at the Vatican, where she and her husband met Pope Francis in May 2017.
With Vatican protocol in mind, she wore a black veil and a long-sleeved black dress draped down to her calf.
The first lady visits a pediatric hospital in Vatican City.
Trump visits the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, while in Jerusalem in May 2017.
A video clip
went viral in May 2017 after the first lady appeared to swat her husband's hand away after landing in Israel. It's unclear what caused the swat, if anything. The Trumps held hands minutes later on the tarmac. They also held hands multiple times during their tour of the Middle East.
The first lady high-fives a child during a visit to the American International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Melania Trump is joined by her husband as she speaks at a Mother's Day event at the White House.
The first lady takes part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Children's National Health System in Washington. She spoke at the opening of the Bunny Mellon Healing Garden, where patients and families can spend time outdoors while receiving treatment at the hospital.
Trump listens while her husband speaks to the press in the White House Oval Office.
The first lady hugs a child at the annual
White House Easter Egg Roll in April 2017. They were making cards for members of the US military.
The first lady's Twitter account posted this photo of Trump reading a book to children at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "Honoring children #worldbookday,"
the tweet said in March 2017.
The first lady walks with Sara Netanyahu at the White House in February 2017. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington to strengthen US-Israel relations after some strained years during the Obama administration.
Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, talks with Trump and Netanyahu as they tour the museum in Washington in February 2017.
The first lady shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before boarding Air Force One with her husband in February 2017. The Trumps hosted the Abes at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Trumps arrive at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in February 2017. The Trumps were attending a Super Bowl party at the club.
The Trumps arrive for a Red Cross gala at their Mar-a-Lago estate in February 2017.
The first lady walks across the tarmac to greet well-wishers in West Palm Beach in February 2017.
Trump gives a speech during one of the inaugural balls in Washington in January 2017.
The first lady dances with her husband at an inaugural ball.
The first lady leaves the President's Room of the Senate after her husband was sworn into office.
New hires
Justin Caporale takes the place of Tim Tripepi, as the new director of operations, who left Trump's office in November after serving in the role since shortly after inauguration. Caporale has experience in operations and advance work; he's joining the first lady's office from the West Wing side of the White House, where he was lead advance representative in the office of Presidential Advance.
His main focus will be the planning and execution of events and travel for Trump. The first lady will likely bulk up her 2018 schedule compared to 2017, increasing the number of official appearances and foreign and domestic trips she took last year.
Caporale will also manage "day-to-day logistical operations for the East Wing," according to a statement.
Reagan Thompson joins the East Wing as director of policy and will presumably help develop a more robust strategy for the first lady's causes, which have so far been broadly centered around helping children.
Grisham said that although the first lady announced the basic premise of a platform last September at a luncheon in New York City, during the United Nations General Assembly, that wasn't to be takten as her ultimate focal point.
"The first lady looks forward to announcing her formal platform in the coming months," Grisham told CNN.
Michelle Obama officially launched "Let's Move," her initiative to help stop childhood obesity, in February of 2010; Laura Bush kicked off her "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn" literacy and education platform in July 2001 with a summit on early childhood cognitive development.
Thompson, as policy director, will likely be involved. Thompson, who comes to the East Wing from the National Security Council's Middle East Directorate, will primarily spend her time on Trump's policies and initiatives, according to the press release. Prior to working for the National Security Council, Thompson was policy and communications adviser for then-Congressman Mike Pompeo.
Annie LeHardy is joining the East Wing from the West Wing to serve as communications coordinator. Her West Wing title had been press assistant.
She will continue many of the same duties she had there -- assisting with press and communications efforts, and media outreach -- only now her primary focus will be the first lady, not the President. Grisham will remain as the sole spokesperson for the first lady.
"Each person filling their respective and vital role has shown true professionalism in their chosen career, and I am confident they will enhance my work on behalf of children everywhere while helping me further expand my role as first lady of the United States," said Trump in her statement.
Caporale and LeHardy started in their new positions this week, while Thompson is dividing her time between the NSC and the first lady's office until the end of the month, at which point she will move to the East Wing full time.