U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao will
visit Uruguay, to meet with senior political, business,
and civil society leaders. The Secretary is interested in
building on the good will and people-to-people linkages
she helped foster during her visit to Uruguay in 2005, for
the inauguration of President Tabare Vazquez. (See related
article.)
Secretary Chao will meet her counterpart,
Minister of Labor Eduardo Bonomi, and other important government
leaders. She will also meet with business executives and
deliver a speech at a breakfast held in her honor, sponsored
by the American Chamber of Commerce. The Secretary will
also have the opportunity to see Uruguay’s future
first hand when she tours Zonamerica and the LATU –
Ingenio Business Incubator
Upon announcing the visit, U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter stated, "I have worked with her for many years
and know her to be a genuine friend of this country. Secretary
Chao knows first hand the work-force and talent challenges
our two countries are facing, both as an expert and from
her unique personal experiences."
“Secretary Chao’s visit to Uruguay
underscores our desire to work together to prepare young
people for the growing global competition for talent. I
look forward to hearing her ideas on how our youth in both
countries will become part of the work force of the future,”
added Baxter.
BIOGRAPHY
Elaine
L. Chao is the nation's 24th Secretary of Labor, representing
a new generation of American leadership.
As Director of the Peace Corps, she was
one of the first Americans to personally embrace the people
of the former communist bloc into the family of democratic
nations, establishing Peace Corps programs in the Baltic
nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the newly independent
states of the former Soviet Union. Later, as President and
Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, she restored
public trust and confidence after the organization was tarnished
by mismanagement and financial abuse, thus preserving the
nation's largest institution of private charitable giving.
Secretary Chao's previous government career
includes serving as the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department
of Transportation, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission,
and Deputy Maritime Administrator in the U.S. Department
of Transportation. She brings a wealth of business experience
to the post, having worked as Vice President of Syndications
at BankAmerica Capital Markets Group and a banker with Citicorp.
Prior to her nomination as Secretary, she expanded her study
of policy as a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation,
a Washington-based public policy research and educational
institute. She was selected as a White House Fellow in 1983.
Secretary Chao received her M.B.A. from
the Harvard Business School and her undergraduate degree
in economics from Mount Holyoke College. She also studied
at M.I.T., Dartmouth College, and Columbia University. Active
in many volunteer activities, Secretary Chao has received
numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and
community service. She is the recipient of 24 honorary doctoral
degrees from colleges and universities around the world.
Secretary Chao is married to the Assistant
Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Senator Mitch
McConnell of Kentucky.
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