| Erika Donalds | |
| Birth Name: | Erika Lees |
| Education: | Florida State University Florida Atlantic University |
| Occupation: | Education activist |
| Party: | Republican |
| Children: | 3 |
Erika Donalds[1] (née Lees; born 1980) is an American conservative education activist from Florida. Her husband, Byron Donalds, is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4] [5]
Donalds was a member of the Collier County School Board from 2014 to 2018. She led a group of pro-charter activists in establishing the short-lived Florida Coalition of School Board Members, in opposition to the long-standing Florida School Boards Association.
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.[6]
Donalds is a member of advisory boards for Classical Learning Test, Moms for Liberty, and the Independent Women’s Forum Education Freedom Center.[7]
In December 2022, Donalds hosted a fundraiser featuring Donald Trump for the Classical Education Network.[8]
In 2017, Donalds founded Optima Ed, a company that provides management support for one Hillsdale College-affiliated "classical" charter school in Florida. Optima is funded by a 10% cut of state funding to its schools, bringing in millions of dollars annually.[9]
Donalds, married Byron Donalds on March 15, 2003. They have three children: Damon, Darin, and Mason. They live in Naples, Florida.[2]