Innovation Dialog – Ding Ding Interview Elaine Lan Chao, United States Secretary of Transportation
Ding Ding TV interviewed Elaine Lan Chao in 2011,
[1] born March 26, 1953) served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. She was the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Chinese American to be appointed to a President’s cabinet in American history.
[2] Chao was the only cabinet member to serve under George W. Bush for his entire administration.
[3] She is married to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the current U.S. Senate Minority Leader. This program was aired on KMVT15 Community Media.
Elaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953)[2] is an American executive and public servant who serves as the United States Secretary of Transportation, having assumed office on January 31, 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Chao was previously Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.
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 attended Mount Holyoke College, Dartmouth 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 HW Bush, including Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission (1988–1989) and Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991). She then served as Director of the Peace Corps (1991–1992) and as president of the United Way of America (1992–1996).
While not in government, Chao has served on several boards of directors and worked for The Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute, two conservative think-tanks. Chao served as Secretary of Labor for the duration of George W. Bush’s presidency and serves as Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump. Chao was the first Asian-American woman and the first Chinese American or Taiwanese American in US history to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet.[3] Chao married US Senator Mitch McConnell in 1993.[4]