Henry Mack appointed as The Southern Group’s education lobbyist and lead consultant
Read Time 4 MinutesFlorida’s largest lobbying firm, The Southern Group, has hired Henry Mack as an education lobbyist and lead consultant.
The lobbying firm is growing once again offering additional advisory and consulting services in the education sector. Mack, former Florida Department of Education Senior Chancellor, will help lead a full-service consulting practice that will advise clients on a wide array of areas in the education space, focusing on workforce development and higher education.
Henry Mack is joining The Southern Group after a distinguished career in higher education, including serving as the Senior Chancellor at the Florida Department of Education (DOE). Henry brings a wealth of experience in a wide range of areas in the education segment, particularly workforce education and economic development.
As Senior Chancellor at DOE, he was responsible for Florida’s public and nonpublic institutions of higher education—overseeing a $3 billion dollar budget with a combined K-20 student enrollment of $1.5 million annually. He led the Divisions of Florida Colleges, Career and Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Blind Services, the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Workforce Education and Economic Alignment, and the Commission for Independent Education. Additional responsibilities included apprenticeships, disability education, employment services and economic development initiatives.
He was directly responsible for the State of Florida’s workforce education strategy, budget, operations, policy and finance, and, together with the Governor’s Office, responsible for all higher education and workforce education legislative and policy priorities. Henry was also responsible for grants and administration such as the $6.2 million in cybersecurity funding received by three South Florida colleges. He was involved in countless others for the state of Florida.
Prior to his appointment at DOE, Henry served as the Chancellor for the Division of Career and Adult Education. The Division itself is accountable for all career and technical education programs and activity across a system of 48 technical centers and colleges, 28 state community colleges, and K-12 public schools, with a combined enrollment of over 1 million students, annually.
Henry has also held various positions throughout Florida’s higher education system holding multiple faculty positions at Florida International University, University of Miami, and Broward College. At Broward College, Henry served as a Vice President for Workforce Education and Innovation at one of our nation’s largest colleges. He oversaw the college’s career and technical education programs, the development of new baccalaureate degrees, and the college’s business incubator and accelerator.
Recognized as 2019’s South Florida’s 40 under 40, Henry frequently lectures on the future of the workforce, entrepreneurship, and the value of a higher education.
Sheela VanHoose, Education Lobbyist and Partner with The Southern Group-Florida stated, “I’m excited about the continued growth of our education practice and what that means for our clients. No one has the knowledge of the CTE and workforce education space like Henry Mack!”
Sheela VanHoose is also South Florida Tech Hub’s Policy Committee Chair and K-12 Talent Sub-Committee Chair. She recently had Mr. Mack attend a Tech Talent Committee meeting as a guest speaker to address the topic of workforce education, certifications and CTE, and give any updates from the DOE.
A couple of those updates from Henry were:
- The DOE recently contracted with the University of Florida to do a study on sequencing for certifications with a likelihood of students earning CompTIA certs in high school, enrolling in further education, and using that certification to do accelerated courses.
- Cap has been removed for using tools at the middle school level allowing schools to be funded at no limit. The DOE is looking at what tools can be used at the middle school level and everyone is looking for new certifications to be added, particularly in artificial intelligence. FL SB240 allocates money that has to be tied to furthering careers within education and cannot be for a new building.
- Students may be harmed by the Standard Occupational Classification, or “SOC” codes, not being well outlined. SOC codes and certifications should have been coordinated with the higher paying jobs. Choose SOC codes wisely and don’t do too many. Two exams for AI certification are already out there including a pathway and a template.
Henry earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology and philosophy from the Catholic University of America and doctorate in education administration and philosophy of education from the University of Miami. Henry currently lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Ashley, and three children, Hadley, Holden, and Arden.
