James Kvaal was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Under Secretary of Education on September 14, 2021 and served until January 20, 2025. Kvaal leads the Department’s work on higher education, student financial aid, and career and adult education. Earlier in his career, Kvaal served in the White House under President Clinton and President Obama, including more than three years as deputy domestic policy adviser to President Obama. He was the policy director on President Obama’s 2012 campaign, a co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign’s education advisory committee, and the deputy lead of President Biden’s Department of Education transition team.