Elaine Chao
Meet. Mrs. Elaine Chao; she is the beautiful wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; while her husband holds an impressive resume, Elaine’s is not bad at all; 65-year-old Former Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao has been the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, since 1993.
Prior to their 1993 nuptials, her hubby was married to Sherrill Redmon; they exchanged vows in 1968, together they welcomed three daughters. Their marriage crumbled and eventually divorced in 1980.
Mrs. Chao
- The first Asian American to serve in a cabinet-level position when George W. Bush appointed her Secretary of Labor in 2001, Elaine held that position until 2009.
- She is also the former President and CEO of United Way of America, and former Peace Corps Director.
- Born in Taiwan, Elaine L. Chao grew up in the U.S. and received an M.B.A. from Harvard University. She was the first Asian American woman to be appointed to a cabinet-level position.
- Elaine who was born March 26, 1953, in Taipei, Taiwan; arrived in the U.S without knowing a word of English when she was just an eight-year-old kid.
- After earning a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1975 and a master’s of business administration from Harvard University in 1979; she worked in the financial sector but by late 80’s she got involved in public affairs. Her first gig was as the deputy maritime administrator in the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.
- In 1991, she was selected to serve as head of the Peace Corps. The following year Chao became the president and chief executive officer of the United Way of America. She is known for restructuring the organization that came from a financial mismanagement, but she cut staff to rein in its finances and re-gain the public’s trust.
- In 1996, Chao joined the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research institution, as a distinguished fellow. In 2001, on her ground braking role; she worked to improve overtime regulations for millions of workers as well as update regulations related to workers’ unions disclosure of financial information.
- On a number of interviews, she has stated
07“There is no one formula for success, this is a country where you can pursue your interests and if you really believe in what you are doing, most of the time, you will succeed if you’re disciplined, and you keep going”
- Giving her dedication and passion for her work, it was only a matter of time for her to wind-up with someone with the same background. She found it with Mitch, a divorced father of three but most importantly, a republican.
- According to an article from the Washington Post, after her mother died in 2007.
- James S.C. Chao, her father is the founder of Foremost Maritime Corporation; which developed trade with Taiwan and was a major agent for shipments of rice during the Vietnam War. Today, Foremost Group still is a major shipping company. As an example of the firm’s success, a Chao family foundation donated $40 million to Harvard Business School in 2012, which Chao and three of her sisters attended.
- According to her page, it not a surprise, her distinguished career has earned her innumerable awards for her public and community service, she is the recipient of 34 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges across the globe.
- A popular speaker, Secretary Chao is currently a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, an educational and research institute in Washington, D.C. where she works on jobs, employment, and U. S. competitiveness issues.
- She serves on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards.