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Betsy DeVos Taps Former Bush Administration Lawyer as Top Adviser

By Alyson Klein — January 23, 2018 1 min read
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Kent Talbert, who served in the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush, has been tapped as a senior policy adviser to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

For now, Talbert has been designated the duties of the deputy secretary, the number two position at the department. President Donald Trump nominated Mick Zais, a former South Carolina school superintendent, to fill the position permanently, but he’s still awaiting Senate confirmation.

Talbert has most recently worked as an attorney for charter school organizations, trade associations, and more. He served as the department’s general counsel form 2006 to 2009, and was a deputy general counsel from 2001 to 2006. Earlier in his career, Talbert served as a staffer for both the House and Senate education committees.

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