One of the problems the majority of people see when they look at Washington D.C. is a lack of commitment and leadership from many career politicians. One charge that cannot be leveled at Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, is a lack of leadership or commitment to the education cause. Secretary DeVos has been committed to the cause of education reform since her children were of school age and she began taking an interest in schools around the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
Even when her work in education reform has taken her around the U.S. fighting for school choice and charter school programs, the Grand Rapids region has stayed close to the heart of Betsy DeVos. Looking back at the dawn of her education reform career, Betsy DeVos revealed she began to take an interest in the education system when her children were moving towards school age. Secretary DeVos explained she and her husband, Dick DeVos were impressed by the hard work of the families at a local Christian school who were struggling to pay the tuition of their children. Forcing families to struggle because they wanted the best education for their children and not solely because of their zip code did not seem fair to Betsy DeVos. Instead, she began to look for different options that would allow the families to have lower costs and reach their own academic goals.
Despite many of her political opponents aiming for her lack of experience in national politics, Betsy DeVos has shown the world her ability in this area. Secretary DeVos began moving towards a brighter future for all by deciding to become the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. In her work fighting for education reform, Betsy DeVos has also come into contact with many national political leaders, including Senator Marco Rubio who she worked closely with to bring school choice to Florida. The Senator is one of the close political allies of Betsy DeVos and speaks highly of her work to change the education system across the nation. Another political leader who has seen the strength and commitment of the Michigan native is the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal who saw the abilities of DeVos first hand.
One of the advantages of the life of Secretary Betsy DeVos has been her family connections on both her side and that of her husband, Dick DeVos. The Education Secretary is the daughter of the industrialist, Eric Prince who has been willing to help her achieve her dreams. On her husband’s side of the family, the former CEO of the AmWay Group has been working to improve the lives of the people of Michigan. Betsy DeVos supported Dick when he became a member of the Michigan Board of Education and believes the work the couple has done together helps her as she makes the move to Washington D.C.