President-Elect Donald J. Trump Nominates Elaine Chao as Secretary of the Department of Transportation

Press Release

President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Elaine Chao to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation. Having served as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Secretary of the Department of Labor, Chao brings unparalleled experience and insight to the role.

"Secretary Chao's extensive record of strong leadership and her expertise are invaluable assets in our mission to rebuild our infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner," said President-elect Trump. "She has an amazing life story and has helped countless Americans in her public service career. I am pleased to nominate Elaine as Secretary of the Department of Transportation."

"The President-elect has outlined a clear vision to transform our country's infrastructure, accelerate economic growth and productivity, and create good paying jobs across the country," said Ms. Chao. "I am honored to be nominated by the President-elect to serve my beloved country as Transportation Secretary."

Elaine L. Chao is a Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute. She is the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor who served from 2001-2009. She is the first American woman of Asian descent to be appointed to a President's Cabinet in our nation's history.

An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking not a word of English, Chao received her U.S. Citizenship when she was 19 years old. Secretary Chao's experience transitioning to a new country has motivated her to devote most of her professional life to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to build better lives.

Secretary Chao has a distinguished career in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. As the first Secretary of Labor in the 21st Century, she focused on increasing the competitiveness of America's workforce in a global economy and achieved record results in workplace safety and health.

Prior to the Department of Labor, Secretary Chao was President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America where she restored public trust and confidence in one of our nation's premier institutions of private charitable giving after it had been tarnished by financial mismanagement and abuse. As director of the Peace Corps, she established the first programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Her government service also includes serving as Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. She has also worked in the private sector as Vice President of Syndications at Bank of America Capital Markets Group and Citicorp.

Secretary Chao earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School and an economics degree from Mount Holyoke College. Recognized for her extensive record of accomplishments and public service, she is the recipient of 35 honorary doctorate degrees.

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