Trump Picks Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary

Inside Higher Ed.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Betsy DeVos, a conservative philanthropist and Republican Party official known for her advocacy for private school vouchers, as education secretary, the transition office announced Wednesday.

Little is known about her views on federal higher education policy.

A statement from Trump said, “Betsy DeVos is a brilliant and passionate education advocate. Under her leadership we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families. I am pleased to nominate Betsy as Secretary of the Department of Education.”

DeVos was chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party in the late 1990s. She and her husband, Dick, who ran for governor of Michigan in 2006 and is a member of the family that owns Amway, have a foundation in their names that contributes heavily to education organizations and arts groups, especially in Michigan.