#14- A Life of Service with Brigadier General and Former Secretary of the United States Department of Education, Dr. Mitchell 'Mick' Zais

Wow- what an amazing "American Made Story"! 

Dr. Mitchell 'Mick'  Zais has quite the background of service and experience.

Growing up in a military family, Mick attended 10 public schools in 12 years. 

Mick earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering from West Point, a Master of Science and a doctorate in social psychology and organizational behavior from the University of Washington, and a Master of Arts in military history from the School for Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He did post-doctoral studies in national security affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

During his military career, Mick served as deputy commanding general at Fort Riley, Kansas, and as an assistant professor at West Point. 
During 31 years as an Army infantryman, paratrooper, and ranger, he served in Vietnam, Korea, Panama, and Kuwait. He was a social aide in the Nixon White House; at West Point, he taught organizational behavior, leadership, and management consulting; and in the Pentagon, he was Chief of War Plans. His military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Ranger, Airborne, and Combat Infantryman's badges, and the South Carolina Meritorious Service Medal.

Zais most recently served as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 16, 2018, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Oct. 5, 2017. Prior to serving in the Trump White House, he ran for and was elected South Carolina’s 17th State Superintendent of Education, the second Republican to hold that office.  

Dr. Zais also served for 10 years as president of Newberry College, a private institution founded before the Civil War. While at Newberry, Mick served as chairman of the presidents' councils of both the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and the South Atlantic Athletic Conference. He was also a member of the board of directors for the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, the Lutheran Education Conference of North America, the South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and the Southern Regional Education Board. 

Dr. Zais is currently continuing his service as a Senior Fellow in the Center for Education Opportunity at AFPI during these critical years in American History. 

An ardent philatelist, Zais has been married for 42 years to Susan. They have two adult children. His son is a cyber security professional and sergeant in the South Carolina National Guard. His daughter, the former Miss South Carolina USA, is a full-time mom. Zais and Susan have six grandchildren between the ages of three and 10.

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