According to a political appointee tracker published by Partnership for Public Service, out of the 363 nominees to be announced by the Biden-Harris administration to fill critical roles throughout the federal government, only 154 have been confirmed by the Senate. 224 nominees are still under consideration by lawmakers in the Senate, 21 are awaiting a formal nomination, and 195 positions have no nominee.
Senate Confirmed Nominees
Secretary, Department of Education – Dr. Miguel Cardona: Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, Dr. Cardona served as the Commissioner of Education for the state of Connecticut. During his tenure in this position, Dr. Cardona dealt with the difficulties experienced by the educational sector throughout the coronavirus pandemic and led the state’s school reopening efforts through the balance of “guidance, local autonomy and oversight while prioritizing public health mitigation efforts.” The Secretary has over two decades of hands-on classroom experience as both an elementary teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.
Dr. Cardona attended both Central Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut. The Senate confirmed the Secretary on Monday, March 1, 2021 via a vote of 64 to 33, with 14 Republican lawmakers voting in the affirmative. Please find a summary of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee here.
Deputy Secretary, Department of Education – Ms. Cindy Marten: Most recently, Ms. Marten served as the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District before being asked to serve in the Biden-Harris administration. She has over 32 years of in-classroom experience, having worked as a teacher, literacy specialist, vice-principal and principal.
After being confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, May 1, 2021 via a 54 to 44 vote, Ms. Marten focuses on developing and implementing policies, programs and activities relating to elementary and secondary education in her role as Deputy Secretary of Education. Please find a summary of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee here.
Under-Secretary, Department of Education – Mr. James Kvaal: Prior to being nominated to serve as the Under-Secretary of the Department of Education by President Biden, Mr. Kvaal served as the President of The Institute for College Access and Success – an independent, nonprofit research and policy organization that promotes “affordability, accountability and equity in higher education.” Unlike his counterparts, Mr. Kvaal has previously served in the federal government, having served as Deputy Under-Secretary of the Department of Education during the Obama-Biden administration.
As the Under-Secretary of the Department of Education, Mr. Kvaal is tasked with coordinating policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, career-technical education, adult education, federal student aid and the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Mr. Kvaal is the most recently confirmed out of the trio, having been confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, September 15, 2021 via a vote of 58 to 37. Please find a summary of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee here.
Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Education – Ms. Lisa Brown: Nominated by the president to serve as General Counsel of the Department of Education on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, Ms. Brown’s was confirmed via voice vote in the Senate on Wednesday, October 06, 2021. Most recently, she has worked as the Vice President and General Counsel of Georgetown University. Prior to this role, Ms. Brown served in the Obama-Biden administration as Acting Chief Performance Officer at the Office of Management and Budget.
Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, Department of Education – Ms. Gwen Graham: A former member of the House of Representatives, Ms. Graham was nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs by President Biden on Friday, April 16, 2021. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate via voice vote on Wednesday, October 06, 2021. Prior to entering the political realm, Rep. Graham was the Chief of Labor and Employee Relations for the Leon County School District located in Florida.
Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Department of Education – Mr. Roberto Rodríguez: Nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development of the Department of Education on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, Mr. Rodríguez’s nomination was approved via voice vote by the Senate on Wednesday, October 06, 2021. He recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Teach Plus, a nonprofit organization aiming to “empower excellent, experienced and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect students’ success.” During the Obama-Biden administration, Mr. Rodríguez served as a Special Assistant for Education.
Nominees Awaiting Confirmation
Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education, Department of Education – Ms. Amy Loyd: Most recently serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Education during the Biden-Harris administration, Ms. Loyd was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education of the Department of Education on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Prior to serving in the federal government, she was the Vice President at Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit focusing on uplifting the workforce of tomorrow. Her nomination has yet to be considered by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education – Ms. Catherine Lhamon: As the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council for Racial Justice and Equity in the Biden-Harris administration, Ms. Lhamon was nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education on Thursday, May 13, 2021. She has previously held the same position during the Obama-Biden administration from 2013 to 2016. Her nomination was advanced by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 to the full chamber. As of now, a full chamber confirmation vote has yet to be scheduled; however, the Senate did vote to discharge her nomination on Thursday, October 07 via a vote 50 to 49.
Nominee for Inspector General, Department of Education – Ms. Sandra Bruce: On Friday, June 11, the Biden-Harris administration nominated Ms. Bruce – the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Education – to permanently fill the position. Prior to joining the Department, she served as the Assistant Inspector General for Inspections at the Department of Energy. Her nomination has yet to be considered by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Positions Awaiting Nominations
As of the date of this post, the Biden-Harris administration has yet to nominate individuals to fill the following positions at the Department of Education:
- Chief Financial Officer.
- Assistant Secretary of Education for Communications and Outreach.
- Assistant Secretary of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education.
- Assistant Secretary of Education for Post-Secondary Education.
- Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
