24th U.S. Secretary of Labor (2001-2009) Fox News Contributor
Elaine L. Chao, an immigrant who arrived in this country at the age of eight speaking no English, rose to become the 24th U.S. secretary of labor. She served from 2001–2009 and was the only member of President Bush’s cabinet to serve all eight years of his administration, making her the longest-serving secretary of labor since World War II. Elaine Chao was also the first Asian Pacific American woman to be appointed to the president’s cabinet in U.S. history. Her distinguished career spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and she addresses jobs and the economy, U.S. competitiveness, understanding China, the upcoming elections, leadership, philanthropy, and diversity in today’s workplace. She is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.
Secretary of Labor. During her tenure, Secretary Chao focused on increasing the competitiveness of America’s workforce by empowering workers and modernizing regulations to respond to the realities of the 21st century workplace. As a result, the Department of Labor achieved record results in protecting the health, safety, wages, and retirements of the nation’s workforce. Elaine Chao was also a key participant in the U.S.–China Strategic Economic Dialogue, the cabinet-level summit established by President George W. Bush and President Hu Jintao, and she led the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Pre- and Post-Cabinet Positions. Prior to being secretary of labor, Secretary Chao was president and CEO of United Way of America. She restored credibility, public trust, and confidence to the organization after it had been tarnished by financial mismanagement and abuse by its previous president. Prior to that, she was director of the Peace Corps, where she established the first Peace Corps programs in Eastern Europe and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Her government work also included serving as the deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation and the chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. Prior to her government service, she was vice president of Syndications at Bank of America Capital Markets Group and a banker with Citicorp.
Honored with innumerable awards for her public and community service, Elaine Chao is the recipient of 34 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges across the world. She earned her degree in economics from Mt. Holyoke College and her MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Secretary Chao is currently a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a Fox News contributor. Having served on many Fortune 500 boards prior to government service, she is currently a director on a select number of corporate boards, such as Wells Fargo, and nonprofit boards, including various committees at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School.
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Jobs, the Economy, and America’s Competitiveness in a Global Environment. The longest-serving U.S. Secretary of Labor since World War II, Elaine Chao offered the initial public analysis of the release of our country’s labor statistics for nearly a decade. Still providing in-depth reviews of the employment situation and the recovering U.S. economy as a Fox News Contributor, she addresses the interwoven economic indicators, world events, and public policy developments that affect our current financial situation, the future of American jobs, and our nation’s international competitiveness. Secretary Chao also provides historical perspective, contemporaneous facts, and future projections of America’s standing in the worldwide economy. Additionally, her presentation can be tailored to the audience’s specific areas of interest and level of expertise.
Understanding China: Overcoming Barriers in Culture and Communication, and Succeeding in the World’s Fastest Growing Economy. As the first Chinese American to be appointed to the president’s cabinet in our country’s history and a key participant in the Cabinet-to-Cabinet-level U.S.–China Strategic Economic Dialogue of the past decade, Elaine Chao possesses unique firsthand insight into the geopolitical interactions between the United States and China. In a talk that can be tailored to either an American or Asian audience, Elaine Chao provides intimate, firsthand knowledge of the cultural differences between the United States and China and how to navigate them. A speaker whose first language is Mandarin Chinese, she draws from her bicultural background and extensive international experiences to convey a fascinating, humorous, and instructive narrative on ingrained historical and societal differences, cultural communications miscues, analysis of the U.S.–China relationship, and how organizations can succeed in their interactions with America’s fastest-growing trading partner.
Leadership. During the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, Elaine Chao was singled out for her dynamic leadership in the president’s cabinet. When the United Way was hit with a headline-grabbing corruption scandal in the 1990s, it brought in Elaine Chao to restore the company’s reputation and build a more effective organization. After the Berlin Wall toppled, it was Elaine Chao who led the Peace Corps in its new mission to focus on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In her presentations, Elaine Chao highlights challenges and strategies to successfully change established organizational environments and turn them into results-oriented cultures of achievement and high expectations.
U.S. Politics and the 2012 Election Outlook. Having worked on numerous presidential and political campaigns, served as a presidential advisor in three administrations, and known many of the presidential, senatorial, and congressional candidates, Elaine Chao provides audiences with insightful behind-the-scenes perspectives and nuanced analysis of America’s 2012 political landscape.
A Legacy of Service and Diversity in Today’s Workplace. As former president of United Way of America and director of the Peace Corps, Elaine Chao is an expert on how philanthropy can be an effective business strategy to inform stakeholders of a company’s core values and enhance its reputation and brand. With 60% of Fortune 500 companies currently instituting a diversity executive and 85% of the entrants into the U.S. workforce being people of color and women by 2050, Elaine Chao’s experiences leading large, complex organizations provide audiences with a unique view into the phenomena of workplace diversity. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Secretary Chao shares her optimism on why America remains a beacon of hope and opportunity to millions around the world. She also explains what the United States can do to ensure that it continues to maintain a competitive workforce and remains at the forefront of innovation and world competitiveness.
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