Trump Taps Biden Critic Nicholas Kent as Under Secretary
Jessica Blake
February 11, 2025
The president nominated a former lobbyist for career colleges to serve as education undersecretary—the nation’s top official on policies affecting colleges and universities.
A vocal critic of the Biden administration will oversee the nation’s colleges and universities, according to a document obtained by Inside Higher Ed.
The president appears set to pick Nicholas Kent, Virginia’s former deputy secretary of education, to be under secretary at the federal Education Department—one of several appointees included on the document. Also on the list is Kimberly Richey, senior chancellor of the Florida Department of Education, who will be appointed assistant secretary for civil rights. (The White House has yet to make an official announcement, but sources say the list of appointees should be transmitted to the Senate soon.)
Kent, who previously worked for a trade association representing for-profit colleges, will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Currently, James Bergeron is serving as acting under secretary. During his first term, Trump didn’t appoint an undersecretary, so the pick is the latest signal that his team is more prepared and more focused on higher education this time around.
