This content is from: Corner Office
The 2017 Pension Political Power 25: Betsy DeVos
No. 3 Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s 59-year-old pick to head the Department of Education, is an advocate of charter schools. These alternatives to public schools are allowed to use teachers not represented by unions — teachers who won job security and comprehensive benefit plans, including guaranteed pensions, through their union membership. DeVos’s husband is Dick DeVos, former president and CEO of multilevel-marketing giant Amway Corp.; her Michigan-based family has donated millions to charter schools, and if she’s confirmed for the Education post, expect her advocacy and clout to shrink union power and whittle away at teachers’ retirement plans. The DeVos family has a history of backing similar causes. Every year it hosts the West Michigan Policy Forum, which has decided to fight to restructure government pensions and benefits in 2017. — Julie Segal
 1. Andy Puzder Secretary of Labor  2. Bruce Rauner Governor of Illinois  3. Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education  4. Laura & John Arnold Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation  5. Steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury |
 6. Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce  7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye California Chief Justice  8. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House  9. Anthony Scaramucci Founder, SkyBridge Capital  10. Kevin de León California State Senator and President Pro Tempore |
 11. Mike Enzi Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security  12. Steve Sweeney President, New Jersey State Senate  13. Jerry Brown Governor of California  14. Corey Lewandowski Co-founder, Avenue Strategies  15. Paul Singer President, Elliott Management Corp. |
 16. Randel Johnson Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce  17. Joe Manchin U.S. Senator  18. Kenneth Feinberg Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen  19. Scott Walker Governor of Wisconsin  20. Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO |
 21. Mike Rawlings Mayor of Dallas  22. Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator  23. Kent Mason Partner, Davis & Harman  24. Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator  25. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers |