Elaine Chao
Elaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as United States secretary of labor in the administration of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and as United States Secretary of Transportation in the administration of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Chao was the first Asian American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet or as secretary of transportation. She resigned as transportation secretary after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
Elaine Chao | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
| 18th United States Secretary of Transportation | |||||||||||||||||
| In office January 31, 2017 – January 11, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | Donald Trump | ||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Jeffrey A. Rosen Steven G. Bradbury (acting) | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Anthony Foxx | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Pete Buttigieg | ||||||||||||||||
| 24th United States Secretary of Labor | |||||||||||||||||
| In office January 29, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | George W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Alexis Herman | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Hilda Solis | ||||||||||||||||
| 12th Director of the Peace Corps | |||||||||||||||||
| In office October 8, 1991 – November 13, 1992 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Coverdell | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Carol Bellamy | ||||||||||||||||
| 4th United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation | |||||||||||||||||
| In office April 19, 1989 – October 18, 1991 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mimi Weyforth Dawson | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | James B. Busey IV | ||||||||||||||||
| Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission | |||||||||||||||||
| In office April 29, 1988 – April 19, 1989 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Edward Hickey | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | James J. Carey | ||||||||||||||||
| Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission | |||||||||||||||||
| In office April 29, 1988 – April 19, 1989 | |||||||||||||||||
| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Edward Hickey | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ming Hsu | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Elaine Lan Chao March 26, 1953 Taipei, Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Mitch McConnell (m. 1993) | ||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Angela Chao (sister) | ||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | James S. C. Chao Ruth Mulan Chu | ||||||||||||||||
| Education | Mount Holyoke College (BA) Harvard University (MBA) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 趙小蘭 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 赵小兰 | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Born in Taipei, Taiwan to waishengren parents who fled China as a result of the Chinese Civil War, Chao immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old. Her father founded the Foremost Group, an American shipping company based in New York. Chao was raised in Queens, New York, and on Long Island, and received degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Business School. She worked for financial institutions before being appointed to 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 1993 to 1996.
Chao has served on several Fortune 500 and nonprofit boards of directors, including the electric charger network provider ChargePoint since 2021. She is married to U.S. senator Mitch McConnell.