Betsy DeVos Net Worth & Biography
Betsy DeVos Net Worth & Biography
| Popular Name: | Betsy DeVos |
| Real Name: | Elisabeth Dee Prince |
| Birth Date: | January 8, 1958 |
| Birth Place: |
Holland, Michigan, United States
|
| Age: | 63 |
| Gender: | Female |
| Nationality/Citizenship: | American |
| Height: | N/A |
| Weight: | N/A |
| Sexuality: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse(s): |
Richard Marvin DeVos Jr.
|
| Children: | 4 |
| Profession: | Businesswoman, Politician, Philanthropist |
| Years active: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | $2 Billion |
| Last Updated: | 2021 |
Betsy DeVos is an American politician, entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist. In 2017, during the administration of former United States President Donald Trump, she was appointed the 11th United States Secretary of Education. A Bachelor of Arts graduate from Calvin College in Michigan, US, Mrs. DeVos has remained active in politics for more than thirty years. She is also an advocate for school vouchers and education reform. DeVos has supported the Detroit charter school system and continues to make her voice heard regarding her advocacy for school choice, charter schools, and school voucher programs. She has occupied several important positions throughout the course of her successful political and entrepreneurial career, including chairwoman of Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, chairwoman of the board of Alliance for School Choice, head of All Children Matter PAC, chairwoman of Michigan Republican Party (two times), and Republican National Committeewoman for Michigan, in addition to serving on the board of Foundation for Excellence in Education as a member.
Despite coming from a rich family background and having married Dick DeVos, an American businessman who also comes from one of the wealthiest families in America, this ambitious lady has continually made efforts to find different avenues through which she can earn a living for herself while building her own empire not necessarily relying on the status of her family. It is to that note that we have written this Betsy DeVos biography article, hoping to shed some light on the prosperous career and success story of one of the bravest and most talented women that have ever walked the surface of the earth. Read on for more information.
Early Life: Childhood, Family, Education
Betsy DeVos was born Elisabeth Dee Prince in Holland, Michigan, United States, on January 8, 1958. She is the daughter of Edgar Prince and his wife Elsa Prince (later Broekhuizen).
Her father was a billionaire businessman who established the Prince Corporation, a successful company that deals with the supplying of automobile parts.
She studied at Holland Christian High School in Michigan and later attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating from this school with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979.
Throughout her growing up years, Betsy continued to follow the Christian faith as a member of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She is also a member and elder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Professional Life: Entrepreneurial & Political Career
Betsy DeVos started her journey with the Michigan Republican Party in 1982, and since 1986, she has been serving the party as a precinct delegate for every 2-year term, 16 times in a row.
In 1992, she became the National Committeewoman for Michigan (Republican) and held the position for five years. In 1996, she was inducted as the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She resigned from the position in 2000 and was re-elected without opposition three years later.
She served as the finance chairperson of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for a two-year period. During this time, she worked with the George W. Bush administration on different projects.
She is also an entrepreneur and the co-founder (with her husband Dick DeVos) of the privately held investment management company Windquest Group, which was established in 1989. The company has holdings in technology, energy, and manufacturing sectors, among others.
In 2012, Betsy and her husband, Dick, produced a stage play titled “Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson”. The play received negative reviews and ran for a three-week period before being scrapped in December that year.
Mr. and Mrs. DeVos are leading stakeholders and members of the board of Neurocore, a group that offers biofeedback therapy for treating a variety of problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and autism.
She is also a board member of many other organizations and institutes, including ArtPrize, American Enterprise Institute, Foundation for Excellence in Education, and the University of Maryland’s DeVos Institute for Arts Management, among others
Philanthropy
In 1989, Betsy combined with her husband, Dick, to establish the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation. Over the years, their philanthropic foundation has donated a lot of money to numerous institutes and organizations such as Christian schools, charter schools, evangelical missions, public schools, civic organizations, art organizations, and hospitals, among others.
She and her husband, in 2008, established The Dick & Betsy DeVos Scholarship to help MBA, MA, and MS students to attend Thunderbird School of Global Management, especially students from developing countries.
Quite active in her community, she has chaired the boards of the American Federation for Children and The Philanthropy Roundtable.
Personal Life: Husband, Children, Private Interests
Betsy DeVos is the wife of Richard Marvin DeVos Jr., better known as Dick DeVos. He is an American entrepreneur and a former chief executive officer of the multi-level marketing company Amway, which was co-founded by Dick’s billionaire father Richard DeVos.
For many years, the DeVos have remained faithful to the Republican Party, donating huge sums to the party, political candidates, and associated committees. It is estimated that they have donated more than $17 million since 1989.
Dick DeVos ran for governor of Michigan as a Republican candidate in 2006 but lost to Jennifer Granholm.
With an estimated fortune of $8 billion, the DeVos family currently ranks 82nd on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest families of America. Betsy’s brother, Erik Prince, a former officer of the US Navy SEALs, is the founder of the American private military company Academi (formerly Blackwater).
Mr. and Mrs. DeVos reside in the state of Michigan. They are the parents of four children, and the grandparents of eight grandchildren.
Betsy DeVos Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources
Mrs. DeVos makes her money from two sources: First, her billionaire father Edgar Prince founded an automotive parts business that eventually expanded into a successful, multi-billion-dollar empire. And second, she married Dick Devos, the son of a billionaire businessman who founded a multi-billion-dollar company known as Amway. In addition, she also made some money from her time as the United States Secretary of Education under the Trump administration. With all the aforementioned in mind, it is justifiable why Betsy DeVos’s net worth is $2 billion. The American politician born and raised in Holland, Michigan, is one of the most successful and influential women in the United States.