Erika Donalds

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Erika Donalds
Donalds in 2021
Born
Erika Brynne Lees

1980 (age 44–45)
EducationFlorida State University
Florida Atlantic University
OccupationSchool choice activist
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 2003)​
Children3

Erika Brynne Donalds[1] (née Lees; born 1980) is an American school choice activist from Florida. Her husband, Byron Donalds, is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Background

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Donalds holds a bachelor's degree (Florida State University, 2002) and a master's degree (Florida Atlantic University, 2006) in accounting. She worked for New York investment management firm Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC (DGHM) from 2002 until 2018.[2]

Education activism

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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 at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference

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]

Affiliations

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Donalds leads education policy at the America First Policy Institute.[6]

Donalds is 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.[7]

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.[8]

Education business

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In 2017, Donalds founded OptimaEd, a company that provides management support for several classical charter schools in Florida.[9]

Personal life

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She married Byron Donalds on March 15, 2003. They have three children. They live in Naples, Florida.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cleary, Tom (January 5, 2023). "Erika Lees Donalds, Byron Donalds' Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Commissioner Erika Donalds". 2017-2018 Constitutional Review Commission. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Jacob, Ogles (January 22, 2019). "Erika Donalds brings years of commitment to school choice issue". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Ogles, Jacob (March 26, 2022). "Gov. DeSantis names Erika Donalds to FGCU Board of Trustees". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Leonard, Kimberly (June 30, 2025). "Erika Donalds talks education policy and gov race". POLITICO. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  7. ^ "Erika Donalds". Archived from the original on February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Leonard, Kimberly (October 16, 2025). "Erika Donalds kicks off speech tour". POLITICO. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  9. ^ Gordon, Mark (October 22, 2020). "Florida charter school leader targets expansion". Business Observer. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
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