Chao, Elaine L. (Elaine Lan), 1953-

<p>Elaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and government official. A member of the Republican Party, Chao served as the 18th Secretary of Transportation in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, and as the 24th Secretary of Labor in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2009.</p>

<p>Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chao immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old. Her father founded the Foremost Group, which eventually became a major shipping corporation. Chao was raised on Long Island, New York, and subsequently received degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Business School. She worked for a number of financial institutions before being appointed to several senior positions in the Department of Transportation under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, including Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission (1988–1989) and Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991). She served as Director of the Peace Corps from 1991 to 1992 and as president of the United Way of America from 1992 to 1996.</p>

<p>While not in government, Chao has served on several corporate boards of directors and worked for The Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute, two conservative think-tanks. Chao was the first Asian-American woman and the first Taiwanese American in U.S. history to be appointed to a President's Cabinet. Chao married U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell in 1993.</p>

<p>During her tenure as Transportation Secretary in the Trump administration, the Transportation Department's inspector general found numerous instances where Chao used her office to promote her family's shipping business. No charges were ever brought against her. The Justice department said “there may be ethical/administrative issues but no evidence to support criminal charges.”</p>

<p>Elaine Lan Chao was born on March 26, 1953, in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to the United States in 1961. She was raised in Long Island, New York, and attended Syosset High School. She is the daughter of James S.C. Chao, the founder of an international shipping company. She officially received her citizenship at the age of 19 and received a degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College in 1975. Chao then went to receive an MBA from Harvard University.</p>

<p>From 1979 to 1982, she worked in international banking at Citicorp in New York, and she served as a White House fellow in the Domestic Policy Council from 1983 to 1984. When she subsequently moved to San Francisco to serve as vice president to BankAmerica Capital Markets Group, she became active in California Republican politics. In 1986, she was appointed deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration, and she served as national chairman of Asian Americans for Bush/Quayle in 1988. Chao became chairperson of the Federal Maritime Commission in 1988 and then was appointed deputy secretary of the US Department of Transportation in 1989.</p>

<p>President George H.W. Bush appointed Chao to head the Peace Corps in 1991, but when he lost reelection in 1992, her tenure was a short one. In 1992, she was named CEO of the United Way of America, where she restored the reputation in the private charitable institution after prior mismanagement.</p>

<p>In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Chao as Secretary of Labor. She was the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet position in US history. Secretary Chao focused on restructuring department programs and modernizing regulations in an attempt to protect and grow the nation’s workforce. She served the entire eight years of the Bush presidency. Following the Bush administration, she resumed her role as a fellow at the Heritage Foundation and served on many boards including Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Dole Food Group, and Wells Fargo. Elaine Chao has many awards and honorary doctorate degrees for her service, and she was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award for public service. She is married to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who served as the Senate Majority Leader.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump nominated Elaine Chao to serve as Secretary of Transportation on November 29, 2016, and the US Senate confirmed her in January 31, 2017.</p>

<p>Secretary Chao is an inspirational and consequential leader who has been appointed to two Presidential cabinet positions: U. S. Secretary of Transportation and U. S. Secretary of Labor. When she was unanimously confirmed to her first cabinet post as Secretary of Labor, she became the first woman of Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage to serve in the President’s cabinet in history.</p>

<p>She arrived in the United States in third grade not knowing how to speak English. She received her citizenship at the age of 19. It was her experience transitioning to a new country that motivated her to ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities in our country.</p>

<p>Prior to being U. S. Secretary of Labor, Secretary Chao was President and CEO of United Way of America where she restored public trust and confidence to an organization tarnished by controversy and scandal. She was also Director of the Peace Corps where she launched the first Peace Corps programs in the newly independent Baltic states and the former Soviet Union. Secretary Chao began her public service as a White House Fellow working at the White House. She then served as Deputy Maritime Administrator, U. S. Department of Transportation; Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission; and, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. She had also worked as a shipping banker in the private sector.</p>

<p>Secretary Chao earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and is the recipient of 37 honorary degrees. She grew up in New York, and is the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. James S. C. Chao and the late Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao. Secretary Chao is now a resident of Kentucky.</p>