The Florida Board of Education unanimously approved Henry Mack as the state’s new education commissioner on Wednesday.
Mack, a former senior chancellor at the Department of Education and most recently an assistant secretary in the U.S. Labor Department, was recommended for the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
“It is an honor beyond words to be entrusted with stewarding Florida schools at this pivotal moment,” Mack told the board.
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Mack replaces Anastasios Kamoutsas, who recently became president of Polk State College, and interim commissioner Paul Burns, a senior chancellor at Florida Department of Education. The position pays approximately $330,000 a year.
Burns said it was an honor to be the interim president for the three weeks he served and looked forward to working with Mack.
“As a parent himself, I know that he believes in parental rights and in school choice, and so board members, I just wanted to share that today, you will be making an excellent choice for Florida’s students, for all of Florida’s educators and for Florida families by choosing Dr. Mack to be our next commissioner of education,” Burns said.
Mack worked for Education Department from 2019 to 2023, led the state’s career and technical education initiatives and heavily supported DeSantis’ parental rights 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.”
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Florida College System presidents, including those from Miami-Dade College, St. Petersburg College and Pasco-Hernando State College, spoke in favor of Mack as the new commissioner, as well as the head of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and career and technical education professionals throughout the state.
“Dr. Mack is a leader, I also believe he’s anointed. You’ve heard several people talk about his skill set, but I’ll close with he is also chosen for such a time as this,” said Mel Ponder, president of Northwest Florida State College.
During his time with DOE, Mack was critical of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and a proponent of “classical” education, a teaching approach backed by conservatives.
“Florida is restoring the classical aims of public education — starting by confining woke ideology to ‘the dustbin of history,’” he posted on social media in 2023.
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In December, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mack to serve in the Labor Department as assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration. He was nominted by President Donald Trump in February 2025.
Mack has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America and a doctorate in education from the University of Miami. He has taught courses in religion and philosophy at the University of Miami and Florida International University.
In 2023, he was the runner-up in Florida Gulf Coast University's presidential search. The post went Aysegul Timur, then FGCU's vice president and vice provost. During the process, Mack described himself as an "innovator, a disruptor and a relationship builder."
“Dr. Mack is a respected academic. He is very forward thinking, and I believe he will support our students and our parents,” said Vice Chair MaryLynn Magar.
