Erika Donalds
Erika Donalds | |
|---|---|
Donalds in 2021 | |
| Born | Erika Brynne Lees 1980 (age 45–46) |
| Education | Florida State University (BS) Florida Atlantic University (MS) |
| Occupation | School choice activist |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Erika Brynne Donalds[1] (née Lees; born 1980) is an American school choice activist from Florida. She leads education policy at the America First Policy Institute. Her husband, Byron Donalds, is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Donalds holds a bachelor's degree (Florida State University, 2002) and a master's degree (Florida Atlantic University, 2006) in accounting.
Career
Donalds worked for New York investment management firm Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC (DGHM) from 2002 until 2018.[2]
Education activism
In 2013, following a dispute with administrators of her second child's public school in Naples, Donalds placed her child in a private school. She became involved in local efforts (via the group Parents ROCK) to deploy state education funds to establish a charter school, the Mason Classical Academy.[3][4]
Donalds was named by Florida House of Representatives Speaker Richard Corcoran to the 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Advisory Committee on Education and Workforce Development and the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees.[5]
In 2017, Donalds founded OptimaEd, a company that provides management support for several classical charter schools in Florida.[6]
Donalds currently leads education policy at the America First Policy Institute.[7]. She is also a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation and serves on the advisory boards of Classical Learning Test, Moms for Liberty, and the Independent Women's Forum Education Freedom Center.[8]
In October 2025, Donalds embarked on a campus speaking tour with the Leadership Institute. Calling the U.S. education system "Wasteful, bureaucratic, monopolistic", she advocated for privatizing the student loan system and increasing the number of groups administering standardized testing.[9]
Personal life
She married Byron Donalds on March 15, 2003. They have three children and live in Naples, Florida.
See also
References
- ^ Cleary, Tom (January 5, 2023). "Erika Lees Donalds, Byron Donalds' Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Commissioner Erika Donalds". 2017-2018 Constitutional Review Commission. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Jacob, Ogles (January 22, 2019). "Erika Donalds brings years of commitment to school choice issue". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Bennett Williams, Amy (August 10, 2020). "Candidate Byron Donalds and his accuser each calls the other a liar; ethics commission won't weigh in until at least next month". Fort Myers News-Press. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Ogles, Jacob (March 26, 2022). "Gov. DeSantis names Erika Donalds to FGCU Board of Trustees". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Gordon, Mark (October 22, 2020). "Florida charter school leader targets expansion". Business Observer. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Leonard, Kimberly (June 30, 2025). "Erika Donalds talks education policy and gov race". POLITICO. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "Erika Donalds". Archived from the original on February 24, 2024.
- ^ Leonard, Kimberly (October 16, 2025). "Erika Donalds kicks off speech tour". POLITICO. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
External links
- Official website
- Kaplan, Michael; Strassmann, Mark; Nicholson, Emma (December 2, 2025). "Florida charter school company run by GOP rising star left behind scrambling parents". CBS News.