Penny Schwinn, a member of former UF President Ben Sasse’s cabinet, has landed a position in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
Late Friday, Trump announced Schwinn, UF’s inaugural vice president for PK-12 and pre-bachelor's programs, as Deputy Secretary of Education — the second highest-ranking education official in the country.
In a now-deleted post on his Truth Social platform, Trump touted Schwinn’s track record in education — and misspelled her name.
“I am pleased to announce that Peggy Schwinn will be our next United States Deputy Secretary of Education,” Trump wrote.
Trump notably omitted Schwinn’s stint at UF under Sasse, who Trump was bitter rivals with on Capitol Hill. Sasse, a former Republican U.S. Senator from Nebraska, was vocal in his criticism of Trump and refused to support his presidential campaigns.
Schwinn previously served as the Commissioner of Education in Tennessee before Sasse hired her in 2023. Schwinn worked for UF remotely from her home in Nashville, Tennessee, occasionally flying to campus using university funds.
Her tenure was marked by a controversial plan to overhaul P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, a Pre-K-12 public laboratory school based in Gainesville. In April 2024, Schwinn proposed a selective admission process in an effort to elevate the school’s rankings into Florida’s top 10.
However, her plan never came into fruition due to pushback from Gainesville locals and the city commission.
Schwinn also worked with Sasse to create UF K-12 charter schools across the state, but the initiative was discontinued by UF President Kent Fuchs.
Contact Annie Wang and Garrett Shanley at awang@alligator.org and gshanley@alligator.org. Follow them on X @wynwg and @garrettshanley.
Garrett Shanley is a fourth-year journalism major and the Summer 2024 university editor for The Alligator. Outside of the newsroom, you can find him watching Wong Kar-Wai movies and talking to his house plants.
Annie Wang is a sophomore journalism student and the Fall 2024 University Administration Reporter. She previously wrote for the University Desk as a General Assignment reporter. In her spare time, she can be found reading and writing book reviews.
