Immigrant of the Day: Elaine Chao

Elaine Lan Chao (Traditional Chinese: 趙小蘭; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhào Xiǎolán; Wade-Giles: Chao Hsiao-lan; born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor. She is the first Asian American woman and first to be appointed to a Cabinet position. Chao is the President’s only original cabinet member, making her the longest serving cabinet member during President Bush’s administration.

Chao was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Her parents had fled to Taiwan from mainland China after the Communists took over in 1949. At the age of eight, Chao and her family emigrated to the United States. She attended Syosset High School on Long Island. Chao received her B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College and her MBA from the Harvard Business School. She also studied at MIT, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University.

After a brief stint as a banker with Citigroup, Chao was selected as a White House Fellow in 1983, working in the Office of Policy Development. After her Fellowship, she moved to California and worked as a vice president with BankAmerica Capital Markets Group. In 1986, Chao returned to Washington D.C. as Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration in the US Department of Transportation. From 1988 to 1989, she served as Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush nominated Chao to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation. From 1991 to 1992, Chao was Director of the Peace Corps. She was the first Asian American to serve in all these positions.

Following her service in the government, Chao worked for four years as President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America. From 1996 until her appointment as Secretary of Labor in 2001, Chao was a Distinguished Fellow with the Heritage Foundation.

KJ