President Bush nominated Kent D. Talbert last week to be the general counsel of the Department of Education.
Mr. Talbert has been the acting general counsel since the departure late last year of Brian W. Jones. Before then, he had served since August 2001 as deputy general counsel, overseeing legal issues for the department on contracts, appropriations, privacy, advisory committees, federal surplus property, tort liability, and labor and management relations.
The nominee has a long history of working on education issues in Washington. Before going to work at the Education Department, he was a staff member for Republicans for the House Education and the Workforce Committee and previously served on the staff of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Born in Greenwood, S.C., Mr. Talbert, 45, received a bachelor’s degree from Erskine College in 1982 and a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1985.
Mr. Talbert must be confirmed by the Senate for the general counsel’s post.
