Miguel Angel Cardona, born July 11, 1975, is an American educator and currently holds the position of United States Secretary of Education in President Joe Biden's administration since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 1, 2021, with a vote of 64-33. Prior to assuming the federal position, Cardona served as commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education from 2019 to 2021.

Born in Meriden, Connecticut, Cardona began his career as a fourth-grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in Meriden. Throughout his career, he has focused on bridging the gap between students learning English and their classmates. In 2019, he was named Connecticut's commissioner of education, becoming the first Latino to hold that position.

Cardona has a strong academic background, with a bachelor's degree in education from Central Connecticut State University in 1997, a master’s degree in bilingual and bicultural education from the University of Connecticut (UConn) in 2001, and a doctorate in education from UConn in 2011. His dissertation, titled “Sharpening the Focus of Political Will to Address Performance Disparities”, examined the gaps between English language learners and their peers.

During his tenure as commissioner of education, Cardona played a key role in overseeing state schools' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, voicing concerns about the long-term impacts on students' mental health due to remote education. In December 2020, he emerged as a candidate for the position of U.S. secretary of education in the Biden administration.

Cardona was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 1, 2021, and his inauguration was held ceremonially by Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, on March 2, 2021. As secretary of education, Cardona highlighted issues related to violence and bullying in schools, seeking federal assistance to address these problems. He is married to Marissa Pérez, a former Miss Connecticut, and has two children.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Cardona