DeSantis recommends Trump administrator, former Florida official, to be next ed commissioner

Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday recommended a former Florida Department of Education official now serving as President Donald Trump’s assistant secretary of labor to lead Florida’s education administration. That official is Henry Mack.

The recommendation comes in advance of a Florida Board of Education meeting set for Wednesday, during which the board will consider the appointment. Mack would take over the department with six months left in DeSantis’s governorship if the board, appointed by DeSantis, approves him.

After DeSantis leaves office, the next governor will likely recommend his preferred commissioner.

The position opened earlier this month when Anastasios Kamoutsas left to become president of Polk State College. In the meantime, Senior Chancellor Paul Burns has been interim commissioner.

Mack worked in the Florida Department of Education from 2019 until 2023 as a chancellor, focusing on colleges and career education. He then spent a year at Northwest Florida State College as a provost.

In December, Mack was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant secretary of labor for Trump’s administration.

“For more than two decades I had the privilege of teaching in Florida, helping students think critically about education, policy, and the good life,” Mack said in a news release from DeSantis’s office.

In 2023, Mack was named a finalist in Florida Gulf Coast University’s search for a new president, with the post ultimately going to Aysegul Timur. Shortly after, he was appointed interim president at Broward College, although contract negotiations stalled and he never assumed the position. Also in 2023, he worked as a lobbyist for The Southern Group.

“As Chancellor, I worked to align our entire K-20 system with workforce needs, and at the U.S. Department of Labor I have continued breaking down the artificial walls between education and employment so that every Floridian — and every American — has clear pathways to high-wage careers. I am ready to bring that integrated vision home to serve Florida’s students, parents, and teachers and strengthen our workforce and economy,” Mack said in the news release.

If approved by the Board of Education, Mack would be the fourth commissioner to serve during DeSantis’s eight years in office. Two interims, including Burns, have served, too.

“He shares our commitment to parental rights, school choice, eliminating radical ideologies from the classroom, and preparing every student for success in the workforce and in life,” DeSantis said in the news release.