WASHINGTON, January 23, 2009-Former Labor
Secretary Elaine Chao will return to The Heritage Foundation next
month as a Distinguished Fellow. In 2001, Chao was serving as a
Heritage Distinguished Fellow, specializing in U.S.-China relations
and chairing the think tank's Asian Studies Center Advisory
Council, when George W. Bush tabbed her to become the nation's
24th secretary of labor. She went on to become the
longest serving Cabinet member since World War II.
"We are delighted to welcome Elaine back 'home' and have her
counsel on critical policy issues once again," Heritage President
Ed Feulner said
When Chao resumes her chair at Heritage, she will concentrate on
international policy issues-especially U.S.-Asia relations-as well
as labor policy. She will also do considerable public speaking on
these topics.
During her tenure as labor secretary, the department updated the
white collar overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards
Act, which had been on the agenda of every administration since
1977. Under Chao's leadership, the department also set new worker
protection enforcement records (including recovering record back
wages for vulnerable, low-wage, immigrant workers) and achieved the
first major update of union financial disclosure regulations in
more than 40 years. In addition, Chao presided over the first major
regulatory update of the Family and Medical Leave Act in more than
a decade.
Chao's career has spanned the public, private and non-profit
sectors. Before her first five-year stint with Heritage, she was
president and chief and executive officer of United Way of America
from 1992-1996. She also was director of the Peace Corps from
1991-1992. During that time, she established the first Peace Corps
programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of
the former Soviet Union.
Chao also has been deputy transportation secretary (1989),
chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission (1988-1989), and a
White House fellow (1983).
Born in Taiwan, Chao immigrated to the United States at age 8.
She received her bachelor's degree in economics from Mount Holyoke
College in 1975 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1979.
She also has studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Dartmouth College, Columbia University, and has received 31
honorary doctoral degrees. She is married to Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported
public policy research institute, with more than 400,000
individual, foundation and corporate donors. Founded in February
1973, Heritage today has a staff of 244 and an annual expense
budget of more than $60 million.