Each year, the Opportunity Conference features an exciting lineup of speakers and workshop panelists.

Elaine L. Chao

U.S. Secretary of Labor

Elaine L. Chao is our country’s 24^th Secretary of Labor and the first Asian American woman in U.S. history to serve in a President’s Cabinet.  She came to America at the age of eight, speaking no English.  Today, she is the longest serving Secretary of Labor since World War II, and the only remaining member of the President’s original Cabinet in 2001.

Secretary Chao's experience transitioning to a new country inspired her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that people have the chance to build better lives and the opportunity to achieve financial independence. 

Under her leadership, the Department of Labor has made outreach to traditionally underserved communities a top priority.  Secretary Chao initiated the annual Opportunity Conference in 2003 to help the Asian Pacific American, African American, and Hispanic communities access opportunities in mainstream America.  The Department has sponsored six Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summits to help Asian Pacific Americans access career and advancement opportunities within the federal government.  The Department also sponsored a leadership summit with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the first-ever Hispanic Health and Safety Summit, and  partnerships to help Hispanic workers develop greater English proficiency and workplace skills.  To help workers and employers with limited English proficiency, the Department has translated labor law materials into multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.

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 institutions of private charitable giving after it was tarnished by mismanagement and financial abuse.  As Director of the Peace Corps, she established the first Peace Corps programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

Her government service also includes serving as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.  She has also worked in the private sector as Vice President of Syndications at BankAmerica Capital Markets Group and Citicorp.  Prior to her nomination as Secretary, she was a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.