Elaine L Chao

Elaine L. Chao served as the U. S. secretary of transportation for the Trump administration from 2017-2021. She also served as U.S. secretary of labor from 2001-2009, the first Asian American woman appointed to a U.S. cabinet position. Her husband is Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Born March 26, 1953, in Taiwan, Chao immigrated to the United States at the age of eight. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Before entering politics, Chao was vice president of syndications at BankAmerica Capital Markets Group and a banker at Citicorp..

Before serving as secretary of labor, Chao served as deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, as chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission, as deputy secretary of transportation, as director of the Peace Corps, as president and CEO of United Way of America, and as a fellow with the Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute. After serving in the Trump administration, Chao rejoined the Hudson Institute as a distinguished fellow.

Sources:

Ballotpedia (n.d.). Elaine Chao. Retrieved on May 14, 2020, from https://ballotpedia.org/Elaine_Chao.

The White House. (n.d.).Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Transportation. Retrieved on May 14, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/people/elaine-chao/.

United States Department of Labor (n.d.). Elaine L. Chao.. Retrieved on May 14, 2020, from http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/chao.htm.