Washington, D.C. - OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF SECRETARY OF LABOR ELAINE CHAO -- Elaine L. Chao is the Nation's 24th Secretary of Labor and the first Asian American woman appointed to a President's cabinet in United States history. Arriving at the age of eight from Asia speaking no English, Secretary Chao's experience transitioning to a new country inspired her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that people have access to opportunity and the chance to build better lives.  Since her confirmation by the United States Senate on January 29, 2001, she has been dedicated to carrying out the Department of Labor's mission of promoting and protecting the health, safety, retirement security, and competitiveness of the nation's workforce.  Among many other accomplishments under her tenure, the Labor Department updated the white collar exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has been on the agenda of every Administration since 1977. The most significant regulatory tort reform of President Bush's first term, the new regulations provided millions of low-wage vulnerable workers with strengthened overtime protection. In 2003, the Department achieved the first major update of union financial disclosure regulations in more than 40 years, giving rank and file members enhanced information on how their hard-earned dues are spent. And under her leadership, the Department has set new worker protection enforcement results, including recovering record back wages for low wage immigrant workers. The Department has also launched comprehensive reform of the nation's publicly funded worker training programs, to better serve dislocated and unemployed workers.  Secretary Chao's career has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors. As President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, she restored public trust and confidence in one of the nation's largest institution of private charitable giving after it was tarnished by mismanagement and financial abuse.
{}