1. Mitchell McGeever "Mick" Zais was born on December 10,1946 and is an American education official and former general who served as the acting United States secretary of education.
17 Facts About Mick Zais
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Mick Zais previously served as the 17th South Carolina Superintendent of Education from 2011 to 2015.
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Mick Zais earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from West Point, a Master of Science and a doctorate in social psychology and organizational behavior both from the University of Washington and a Master of Arts in military history from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
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Mick Zais commanded two rifle companies, an infantry battalion, a light infantry brigade, and served as deputy commanding general at Fort Riley, Kansas.
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Mick Zais served as a White House aide and in Panama as executive assistant to the four-star commander of all US forces in Central and South America.
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Mick Zais served as commanding general of Operation Provide Refuge, the task force that cared for 4,000 Kosovo refugees who entered the United States.
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At the time of his retirement from the military Mick Zais held the rank of Brigadier General.
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Mick Zais became the president of Newberry College in August 2000.
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Mick Zais retired in June 2010, just prior to running for state Superintendent of Education.
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Mick Zais ran in a crowded field for the Republican nomination.
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Mick Zais opposed implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative in South Carolina and withdrew from the state's participation in the federal Race to the Top grant competition.
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Mick Zais supported the state's Governor to have the power to appoint the State Superintendent of Education, a position shared by a former Democratic Superintendent as well as his successor in the position.
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On October 5,2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Mick Zais to serve as the United States Deputy Secretary of Education.
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Mick Zais remained in the position until January 20,2021, when President Joe Biden nominated Phil Rosenfelt, the former Acting General Counsel of the United States Department of Education, to serve in an acting capacity as Secretary of Education until Miguel Cardona, the President's nominee, was confirmed by the Senate.
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In June 2023, Mick Zais endorsed Tim Scott in the 2024 United States presidential election.
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Mick Zais has a daughter, Ashley, who was Miss South Carolina USA in 2007.
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Mick Zais's father, Melvin Zais, was a four-star general in the United States Army.