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Biography of The Honorable Elaine L. Chao
Secretary Chao
is the first Asian Pacific American woman to be appointed to the
President’s cabinet in our nation’s history. Serving from
2001-2009, she is the longest tenured Secretary of Labor since
World War II.
During her
tenure, the U.S. Department of Labor achieved record results in
protecting the health, safety, wages, retirement security of
America’s workforce. Under her leadership, the Department of
Labor fostered greater exchanges, cooperation and interactions
with China.
In August 2008,
Secretary Chao was appointed by President Bush to represent the
United States of America as head of the U.S. Delegation to the
Closing Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. She has
also been an active participant in the U. S. –China Strategic
Economic Dialogue which was initiated in 2006 by the Presidents
of both countries.
During her
tenure, the Department made unprecedented outreach efforts to
the Asian Pacific American (APA) community to help access better
opportunities in mainstream America. She appointed more Asian
Pacific Americans to positions at the Department of Labor than
any other Cabinet Secretary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics for
the first time ever began to record employment data on Asian
Pacific Americans in a separate category. Secretary Chao also
established internship programs at the U. S. Department of Labor
in which many Asian Pacific American young people participated.
To help more Asian Pacific Americans advance within the federal
government, Secretary Chao initiated the annual Asian
Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit. The
Department initiated the annual Opportunity Conference
to help Asian Pacific Americans access greater opportunities in
federal contracting and
networking.
Secretary Chao's career has spanned the public,
private and non-profit sectors. As President and Chief Executive
Officer of United Way of America, she restored public trust and
confidence in one of the nation's premier private charity. As
Director of the Peace Corps, she established the first Peace
Corps programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent
states of the former Soviet Union. Her government service also
includes serving as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.
Formerly a banker with Citicorp and Bank of
America, she has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an
economics degree from Mt. Holyoke College. Secretary Chao is
currently a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in
Washington, D. C., a Fox News Contributor, and chairman of the
family foundation set up in memory of her beloved mother, Ruth
Mulan Chu Chao who passed away on August 2, 2007. Secretary
Chao is the recipient of 31 honorary doctorate degrees.
She is the daughter of Dr. James
S. C. Chao, who was Chairman of Chiao-Tung University Alumni
Association in America from 1988-1999. During her youth, she
was Chairman of the Chiao-Tung University Youth Alumni
Association in the United States. In June 1990, she was the
keynote speaker at the Sixth Reunion of the Chiao-Tung
University Alumni Association in America at the Stevens
Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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