Education
DeSantis Recommends Dr. Henry Mack for Education Commissioner
Current U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor and former Florida College System chancellor tapped to lead K-20 education policy
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday his recommendation of Dr. Henry Mack to serve as Florida’s next Commissioner of Education. The move follows the appointment of former Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas as President of Polk State College, and the Florida Board of Education’s naming of Dr. Paul O. Burns as interim commissioner during the transition.
Mack’s background:
- Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy and theology from the Catholic University of America
- Doctorate in education administration and the philosophy of education from the University of Miami
- From 2019 to 2023, oversaw the Divisions of Florida Colleges, Career and Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Blind Services, along with the Office of Workforce Education and Economic Alignment and the Commission for Independent Education
- Currently serves as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor, where he has pushed to expand Registered Apprenticeships, speed up credential attainment, crack down on unemployment insurance fraud, and align job training with high-demand industries
“I am confident Dr. Mack will build on Florida’s record of success in education. 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.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis
Mack, for his part, framed the recommendation as a homecoming. He spent more than two decades teaching in Florida before moving into state and federal policy roles.
“It is a profound honor to be recommended by Governor DeSantis to serve as Florida’s Commissioner of Education. For more than two decades I had the privilege of teaching in Florida, helping students think critically about education, policy, and the good life… I am ready to bring that integrated vision home to serve Florida’s students, parents, and teachers and strengthen our workforce and economy.” — Dr. Henry Mack
Pensacola State College Implication
Mack is the first PhD that DeSantis has appointed Education Commissioner. His last three Education Commissioners did not, but the trio have gone on to jobs in higher education:
- Richard Corcoran (Law Degree)—New College of Florida
- Manny Diaz Jr. (Masters)—University of West Florida
- Anastasios Kamoutsas (Law Degree)—Polk State College
Will Mack be Pensacola State College’s next president? The search process, led by PSC District Board of Trustees Chair Zack Smith, has been conducted behind closed doors.
Why it matters: The Commissioner of Education oversees policy direction for Florida’s K-12 and postsecondary systems statewide—curriculum standards, school choice implementation, and workforce alignment among them. Mack’s dual background in state education administration and federal labor policy signals continuity with DeSantis’ push to tie Florida’s schools more tightly to workforce outcomes.
The recommendation now heads to the State Board of Education for consideration.
The name of the DeSantis model is “spoils system.” Modern Republicans seem to think they’re clever, but they’ve just reinvented he Southern Dem party machine of yesteryear.