Nicholas Kent
The data on this page comes from a financial disclosure filed by Nicholas Kent, who was picked to be: Under Secretary of Education, Department of Education. It is part of a collection of thousands of ethics documents ProPublica has been collecting from across the Trump administration.
Roles Outside Government
Officials are required to disclose paid or unpaid positions they hold or recently held outside the federal government, including roles as officer, director, trustee or employee. (Form 278e, Part 1)
| Organization | Position held | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dulles Advisory Group, LLC | Managing Director, 8/2016 - Present | Dormant since November 2017. | 1 |
| TRUMP VANCE 2025 TRANSITION, INC. | Volunteer, 9/2024 - 1/2025 | Uncompensated. | 2 |
| Commonwealth of Virginia | Deputy Secretary of Education, Office of the Secretary of Education, Office of the Governor, 9/2023 - 1/2025 | 3 | |
| CECU Research Foundation | President, 8/2022 - 9/2023 | Uncompensated. | 4 |
| Career Education Colleges & Universities | Chief Policy Officer, 6/2022 - 9/2023 | 5 |
Employment Assets
Officials are required to disclose assets associated with their employment, including salary, retirement accounts, stocks, intellectual property and awards or prizes. (Form 278e, Part 2)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth of Virginia | $168K | Salary | 1 | ||
| Virginia Retirement System, Optional Retirement Plan for Political Appointees account | 2 | ||||
| Target Date 2050 Portfolio | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.1 | ||
| Career Education Colleges & Universities, 401(k) profit-sharing plan account | 3 | ||||
| Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund - Investor Shares (VFIFX) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 3.1 | ||
| Career Education Colleges & Universities, 457 plan account | 4 | ||||
| Vanguard LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund - Investor Shares (VSMGX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 4.1 | ||
| District of Columbia, 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan account | 5 | ||||
| Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Trust I | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 5.1 | ||
| Education Affiliates, Inc., 401(k) plan account | 6 | ||||
| Vanguard Target Retirement 2045 Fund - Investor Shares (VTIVX) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 6.1 |
Employment Agreements
Officials are required to disclose agreements relating to other jobs, including what will happen with any small businesses they own during government service and any continued health care coverage, planned leaves of absence, severance or bonuses. (Form 278e, Part 3)
| Organization | Agreement | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Retirement System | I continue to retain the Optional Retirement Plan for Political Appointees. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2024-11-01) | 1 | |
| Virginia Retirement System | I continue to retain the COV 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2024-11-01) | Underlying asset(s) are below Part 2 reporting thresholds. | 2 |
| Virginia Retirement System | I continue to retain the Virginia Cash Match Plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2024-11-01) | Underlying asset(s) are below Part 2 reporting thresholds. | 3 |
| Dulles Advisory Group, LLC | The company will remain dormant during my appointment. (2017-11-01) | 4 | |
| Career Education Colleges & Universities | I continue to retain the 401(k) profit-sharing plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2017-11-01) | 5 | |
| Career Education Colleges & Universities | I continue to retain the 457 plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2017-11-01) | 6 | |
| District of Columbia | I continue to retain the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2016-01-01) | 7 | |
| Education Affiliates, Inc. | I continue to retain the 401(k) plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2008-03-01) | 8 |
Compensation
Officials are required to disclose the sources of any compensation above $5,000 in a year. (Form 278e, Part 4)
Other Assets and Income
Officials are required to disclose other assets and sources of investment income belonging to them, their spouse or their dependent children. These include annuities, bonds, cash, college savings plans, farms, precious metals, real estate, stocks, trusts and wills. (Form 278e, Part 6)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank (Cash) | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | 1 | ||
| Oil and gas lease, Marshall County, WV - American Shale Development, Inc., and Republic Energy Ventures, LLC (value not readily ascertainable) | None (or less than $201) | 2 | |||
| U.S. Brokerage account | 3 | ||||
| Ishares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 3.1 | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF (IXUS) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 3.2 | ||
| Vanguard 500 Index Fund - ETF Shares (VOO) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 3.3 |
About the Data
Most political appointees and senior officials in the executive branch are required by law to file public financial disclosure reports. These are documents that detail their financial holdings, positions they hold outside government, their spouse’s holdings, their liabilities and their recent financial transactions (such as buying or selling stock) during a defined reporting period.
The most senior officials file their disclosures with an agency called the Office of Government Ethics, and others file them with a designated ethics official within their agency. The Ethics in Government Act allows members of the public and the press to request these documents.
We’re publishing this information to give the public an important glimpse into the financial ties of a powerful and often hidden cadre of presidential appointees within the federal bureaucracy.
The main document type included in the database is the OGE Form 278e, which appointees must file when they are nominated (for Senate-confirmed appointees) or when they enter government (all others), and then annually while in the position. Another common document included is the OGE Form 278-T, also known as a periodic transaction report, which all public filers must submit within 30 days of a transaction. We are also making other ethics documents available, such as ethics agreements, certificates of divestiture and other documents we have obtained under the Ethics in Government Act.
