Elisabeth Dee 'Betsy' DeVos (born January 8, 1958) is an American philanthropist, businesswoman, conservative activist, and former politician who served as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. An heiress to significant family wealth through her marriage to Richard 'Dick' DeVos Jr. (son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos Sr.) and as daughter of Edgar Prince (founder of Prince Machine Corporation), she is an heir to the Amway fortune with deep conservative ties. She grew up in a prominent Dutch Reformed Christian family in Holland, Michigan, attended religious schools, and graduated from Calvin College in 1979 with a degree in business economics, marrying Dick DeVos that same year. She entered politics as a Republican national committeewoman for Michigan (1992–1997) and chaired the Michigan Republican Party (1996–2000, 2003–2005). DeVos co-founded the Windquest Group in 1989 with her husband, focusing on investments in technology, manufacturing, and clean energy, and has held leadership roles in organizations including the American Federation for Children, Philanthropy Roundtable, Alliance for School Choice, and Acton Institute. She is renowned as a prominent advocate for education reform, particularly promoting school choice, charter schools, voucher programs, and conservative education policies, with a focus on religious liberty. Her philanthropy emphasizes conservative Christian and Republican causes, and she is a major conservative philanthropist active in right-wing causes. Her family are major donors to Republican campaigns and PACs, including support through PACs like All Children Matter. Her tenure as Education Secretary was controversial due to her lack of public education experience, strong advocacy for privatizing elements of public schooling, efforts to expand charter schools and reduce federal oversight, rolling back Obama-era protections for transgender students, promoting for-profit colleges, and attempting to redirect funds to private schools. She faced allegations of conflicts of interest related to her wealth and donations, including reports of earning over $56 million in 2018 from offshore entities and family businesses while in office, with critics accusing her of using her position to benefit for-profit education sectors tied to her donors. She resigned on January 7, 2021, citing Trump's role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Post-administration, she has continued her philanthropy, business interests, and involvement in education reform and conservative philanthropy. Her family ties include brother Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater. DeVos has faced lawsuits and allegations related to education funding and political donations, though no criminal convictions or formal charges resulted.