Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday recommended Henry Mack to serve as Florida’s next education commissioner, pointing to his experience in higher education, workforce development and federal labor policy.
Mack would succeed Anastasios Kamoutsas, who was appointed president of Polk State College. Paul Burns will serve as interim commissioner during the transition.
Mack previously held senior roles at the Florida Department of Education from 2019 to 2023, overseeing the Florida College System, career and adult education, vocational rehabilitation, blind services and workforce education programs. He currently serves as a U.S. assistant secretary of labor, where his work has focused on apprenticeships, credential programs, unemployment insurance oversight and aligning job training with workforce needs.
DeSantis said Mack shares the administration’s priorities on parental rights, school choice, workforce preparation and removing ideological content from classrooms.
Mack said he would seek to strengthen connections between education and employment, expand pathways to high-wage careers and improve coordination across Florida’s K-20 education system.
His policy background includes support for competency-based education, classical liberal arts instruction, career and technical education, community college partnerships and degree-connected apprenticeship programs.
The State Board of Education is responsible for formally appointing Florida’s education commissioner.
