Chao, Elaine L (1953- )

US public servant, secretary of labor from 2001. The first Asian-American woman in a presidential cabinet, she has a varied background in business and public and community service and is an opponent of affirmative action programmes. As director of the Peace Corps 1991-92, she established Peace Corps branches in the newly independent states of the former USSR, and in 1992-96 was chief executive officer of United Way of America, the country's largest institution of charitable giving.

She was born in Taiwan, and her family settled in the USA when she was eight years old. She studied business administration at Harvard Business School and later worked in banking. She was deputy secretary of transportation 1989-91 under President George H W Bush and has also been chair of the Federal Maritime Commission.