Governor Ron DeSantis recommended Dr. Henry Mack on Friday to serve as the state’s next Commissioner of Education.
The recommendation follows a leadership transition, as former Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas was recently appointed president of Polk State College. Dr. Paul O. Burns will serve as interim commissioner until Mack is officially confirmed.
Mack previously worked within Florida’s education department from 2019 to 2023, where he oversaw the Divisions of Florida Colleges, Career and Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Blind Services, the Commission for Independent Education, and the Office of Workforce Education and Economic Alignment. He currently serves at the federal level as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor.
DeSantis expressed confidence in Mack’s upcoming tenure, noting his focus on workforce preparation and state educational policies.
“I am confident Dr. Mack will build on Florida’s record of success in education,” DeSantis said in a statement. “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.”
Mack holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of America, alongside a doctorate in education administration and the philosophy of education from the University of Miami. His prior administrative work focused heavily on competency-based pathways, classical liberal arts, registered apprenticeships, and linking career and technical college programs with industry demands.
“It is a profound honor to be recommended by Governor DeSantis to serve as Florida’s Commissioner of Education,” Mack said regarding the nomination. “For more than two decades I had the privilege of teaching in Florida, helping students think critically about education, policy, and the good life. 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.”
Mack added that he intends to use this experience to focus on Florida’s students, parents, and teachers while building up the state’s workforce and broader economy.
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