Donald Trump Picks Elaine Chao as Transportation Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Elaine Chao to be his transportation secretary, according to two transition officials.

Ms. Chao, 63 years old, was the first American woman of Asian decent to be appointed to the cabinet when she was named secretary of labor by then-President George W. Bush in 2001. She served all eight years that Mr. Bush was in office, and was his only cabinet member to do so.

A Harvard Business School graduate, Ms. Chao was a banker at Citigroup and president and chief executive officer of the United Way of America before she joined the Bush administration. In 2009, she returned to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, as a distinguished fellow and joined several corporate and nonprofit boards, including Wells Fargo, Dole Food Co. and the National World War II Museum. She also is a board member of News Corp., the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.

She is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.).

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