Betsy DeVos

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Betsy DeVos (2017)

Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos (born January 8, 1958 in Holland , Michigan as Elisabeth Prince ) is an American politician ( Republican Party ). She has been the United States Secretary of Education in the administration of President Donald Trump since February 7, 2017 . She was previously an entrepreneur and education activist in Michigan.

Life

Betsy DeVos is the daughter and one of four children of Edgar Prince and Elsa Prince Broekhuizen (née Zwiep). Her father was the founder of Prince Corporation , an automotive supplier in Holland, Michigan (acquired by Johnson Controls in 1996 ). Her brother Erik Prince founded Blackwater USA . Betsy DeVos graduated from Holland Christian High School and Calvin College in Grand Rapids , she with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Political Science ( Political Science ) graduated.

In the 1980s she married Richard “Dick” DeVos Jr., son of Amway co-founder and co-owner Richard DeVos sr. The couple have two daughters and two sons.

The Richard and Betsy DeVos couple are estimated to be worth $ 5.1 billion .

activities

She serves on many boards and served as President of Michigan Republicans for several years. She chairs the equity-investing Windquest group, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, and the American Federation for Children . She is also a board member of the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the Kennedy Center . She supported Jeb Bush for a long time before the 2016 presidential election .

On November 23, 2016, US President-elect Donald Trump nominated her as Minister of Education in his cabinet . On February 7, 2017, the US Senate confirmed her nomination with 51:50 votes. With Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting against DeVos, there was a stalemate. In such a case, the vote of the Vice President of the USA , at this time Mike Pence , who is also Chairman of the Senate, decides . It was the first time in United States history that a cabinet member was elected to office by the vote of the vice president.

DeVos has donated approximately $ 200 million to various senators.

Political positions

Betsy DeVos is fighting for a significant expansion of state funding for private schools through education vouchers . At the end of 2016, she called the current status “unacceptable” and said she wanted to enable less wealthy parents to send their children to private schools. These plans are harshly criticized by the NEA ( National Education Association ) teachers' union as an attempt to further de-professionalise and privatize education. The background to this is a fundamental conflict in which the private and public schools struggle for influence and support.

Web links

Commons : Betsy DeVos  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ spiegel.de February 7, 2017: Stalemate in the Senate - Pence makes DeVos Minister of Education
  2. ↑ sueddeutsche.de: US Secretary of Education DeVos only just confirmed
  3. ↑ washingtonpost.com February 7, 2017: She's a billionaire who said schools need guns to fight bears. Here's what you may not know about Betsy DeVos
  4. ↑ Molly Hensley-Clancy: Trump Picks Betsy DeVos As Education Secretary (English) . In: Buzzfeed.com , November 23, 2016. 
  5. ↑ Betsy DeVos confirmed as education secretary; vice president casts historic tie-breaking vote
  6. ↑ Betsy DeVos can only do it with the help of Mike Pence. Spiegel Online, February 7, 2017, accessed on the same day
  7. ↑ https://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de/texte/verbindungen/46173
  8. ↑ zeit.de / Heike Buchter February 7, 2017: On Mission (Subtitle: Billionaire DeVos became the US Secretary of Education against much resistance. To underestimate her would be fatal: She wants to privatize public education. )
  9. ^ Meet Betsy DeVos, the polarizing charter-school advocate Trump has tapped as education secretary . In: Business Insider Germany . ( businessinsider.de [accessed on September 2, 2017]).
  10. ↑ Betsy DeVos: Q + A. Retrieved November 25, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Heike Klovert: Billionaire with an agenda. November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME DeVos, Betsy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES DeVos, Elisabeth; Prince, Elisabeth (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and education activist
DATE OF BIRTH January 8, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Holland (Michigan)