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Chris Lu
United States Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform
Assumed office
January 4, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byCherith Norman Chalet
35thUnited States Deputy Secretary of Labor
In office
April 4, 2014 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded bySeth Harris
Succeeded byPatrick Pizzella
17thWhite House Cabinet Secretary
In office
January 20, 2009 – January 25, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byRoss M. Kyle
Succeeded byDanielle Gray
Personal details
Born(1966-06-12)June 12, 1966(age 58)
New Jersey,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPrinceton University(BA)
Harvard University(JD)

Christopher P. Lu(simplified Chinese:Lư phái ninh;traditional Chinese:Lư phái ninh;pinyin:Lú Pèiníng;born June 12, 1966) is aChinese Americanpolitical advisor who serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform.[1]He is also an alternative representative to the United Nations General Assembly during his tenure as Representative for Management and Reform. In theObama administration,Lu served as theUnited States Deputy Secretary of Laborfrom 2014 to 2017, theWhite House Cabinet Secretaryand Assistant to the President from 2009 to 2013,[2]and the co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.[3]Lu graduated from theWoodrow Wilson SchoolatPrinceton Universityand fromHarvard Law School,where he was a classmate of Obama's.

After serving briefly as an advisor onSenatorJohn Kerry's2004 presidential campaign,Lu began working for Barack Obama in 2005 in hisU.S. Senate office,where Lu served as legislative director and actingchief of staff.Following Obama's successful2008 campaign for presidency,Lu was appointed executive director of theObama-Biden Transition Project.When Obama appointed Lu as Cabinet Secretary,The New York Timesdescribed him as "one of the highest-rankingAsian Americansin the Obama administration ".[4]In 2018, Lu was elected as a fellow of theNational Academy of Public Administration.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Chris Lu was born on June 12, 1966, inNew Jersey.[4]In 1974, his family moved to the Fallsmead neighborhood ofRockville, Maryland,where he graduated fromThomas S. Wootton High Schoolin 1984.[6]Lu is the son of Eileen and Chien-Yang Lu, both of whom were born inmainland Chinaand lived inTaiwanuntil the 1950s when they emigrated to the United States to attend college.[7]Lu's grandfather,Wang Renyuan,wasRepublic of ChinaMinister of Justicefrom 1970 to 1976 and was elected to the firstLegislative Yuanin 1948 to representTianjin.[8]Lu said he was heavily influenced by his father, who worked as an electrical engineer but loved literature and history; the two would read biographies of politicians and watch the evening news together.[9]

Lu attended theWoodrow Wilson SchoolatPrinceton University,where he was the senior news editor of theDaily Princetonian.Lu's ambition for a political career developed at Princeton, particularly during his internship in theCapitol Hilloffice ofSenatorCharles Mathias.[10]He graduatedmagna cum laudein 1988,[11]after writing a 161-page long senior thesis titled "Press Coverage of Presidential Primaries, 1972-1984."[10][12]After graduating from Princeton, Lu attendedHarvard Law School,where he was one of Barack Obama's classmates[13]from 1988 to 1991.

Career[edit]

After graduatingcum laudefrom Harvard in 1991,[11]Lu started his career as a law clerk to JudgeRobert Cowenin theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.In 1992, he began working as a litigation attorney at the Washington, D.C., office ofSidley Austin,a large Chicago-based law firm. Barack Obama and his wife,Michelle,also worked at Sidley Austin, in the firm'sChicagooffice.[9]

In 1997, Lu left Sidley Austin and took his first job in the political arena as deputy chief counsel for Representative Henry Waxman and the Democratic staff of theOversight and Government Reform Committeeof theHouse of Representatives.[9]Phil Schiliro,Waxman's chief of staff, had a large part in the decision to hire Lu; the two would work together again later on the Obama administration;[14]Lu later said he considers Schiliro andPete Rouse,another futureWhite Housestaffer, among his most influential mentors.[4]During his tenure with the Government Reform Committee, Lu conducted several high-profile investigations, including investigations into campaign fundraising during the1996 presidential election,thecollapse of Enron,and substandard nursing home conditions.[11]Lu also served as special adviser for communications to Senator John Kerry during the2004 presidential election.One of his primary duties there was coordinating the activities of families ofSeptember 11 attackvictims supporting the Kerry campaign.[11]

Barack Obama's Senate office[edit]

After Barack Obama was elected as U.S. Senator ofIllinois,Lu joined Obama's office in early 2005 as legislative director. Lu developed a strong admiration for Obama, of whom he said, "With his quick and incisive mind, Obama is the most intelligent person that I have ever met (in the political arena)."[9]As legislative director, Lu led a 15-person group and was responsible for overseeing the drafting of all legislation and advising Obama on votes and policy decisions.[11]When weighing difficult votes, Obama had Lu and his other staff members assemble together and argue about the issue in front of him. David Mendell, aChicago Tribunereporter and Obama biographer, said Lu was among the "moderate voices in this atmosphere of smart young staffers."[15]Lu advised Obama to vote in favor of theMilitary Commissions Act of 2006because he felt it would have been politically wiser to support it, but Obama ultimately voted against it.[15]

Lu said of his role as legislative director, "It's one of the most fun jobs in the Senate (but) it's also an incredibly difficult job because you have to know something about any given thing going on in the Senate at the time... It takes a couple years off your life."[10]Lu, along withRobert Gibbsand several other Obama staffers, read Obama's manuscript forThe Audacity of Hopeand provided him with several editorial suggestions.[16]

Lu eventually became acting chief of staff in Obama's Senate office. When Obama announced hiscandidacy for presidentin February 2007, Lu did not move over to the campaign, but remained to continue running Obama's operations in the Senate; Lu said of Obama at that time, "Even while he was running for president, he had a day job [in the Senate]."[10]

Obama administration[edit]

Lu with Obama in theBlue Roomof theWhite House

In May 2008, Obama asked Lu to begin planning for a possible presidential transition.[17]Obama warned him to tell no one about the nascent operation, even his own wife, so Lu quietly rented a small office in D.C.[17]and secretly met with people who had worked on previous Democratic presidential transition efforts.[18]The planning efforts produced policy options on a wide range of topics, compiled names of and began vetting potential political appointees for top jobs, arranged over 100 security clearances, and managed the logistics for expanding the operations after Election Day.[19]

After Obama's victory, Lu became executive director of theObama-Biden Transition Project,a position that was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the transition. During the transition period, Lu was in daily contact withBush administrationofficials, managed the $9 million budget, and negotiated the ground rules for Obama transition representatives to gather information on federal agency operations and programs.[19]

"My job (at the White House) is the same job I've had all along, which is to keep the trains running on time, and to make sure that on any given day, the White House and the agencies are all moving down the same set of tracks."

Chris Lu[7]

Obama selected Lu to serve asCabinet Secretary,making him one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in theadministration,along withSecretary of CommerceGary LockeandSecretary of EnergySteven Chu.[7]At the time of his selection,The New York Timesreporter Michael Falcone wrote, "By now, Mr. Lu knows the president-elect's record better than almost anyone."[4]

Lu's responsibilities included representing Obama's positions to each of theCabinetsecretaries and agencies and coordinating a common White House agenda among them.[4]Marc Ambinder,associate editor ofThe Atlantic,said of Lu, "when agency heads have a problem, or when the White House has a problem with an agency head, Mr. Lu will be the first person who's called, or calls."[20]

In July 2009, Lu visitedChinaas part of an official delegation for the Obama administration, along with Locke and Chu. Although his parents were born there, it was the first time Lu had set foot on Chinese soil.[7]Lu was introduced to ChinesePremierWen Jiabao,who said upon meeting Lu, "I know the name and also the importance of his position."[21]In July 2010, Lu was a member of the official U.S. delegation to theShanghai Expo,along with formerSecretary of StateMadeleine Albright.[22]

On January 8, 2014, Lu was nominated by President Obama to be the Deputy Secretary for theUnited States Department of Labor.[23]He was unanimously confirmed by theUnited States Senateon April 1, 2014.[24]Lu became the first Asian American to hold the position, and only the second Asian American in history to serve as deputy secretary of a cabinet department, afterElaine Chao.[25]Lu's service in this position ended on January 20, 2017, concurrent with the end of the Obama Administration.

Career after Obama administration[edit]

Lu soon took up positions as a Senior Fellow of theUniversity of VirginiaMiller Center, specializing in presidential scholarship, and as a Senior Advisor toFiscalNote.He remains heavily involved as aDNCsuperdelegateand co-chaired DNC ChairmanTom Perez's transition committee.[26]

In November 2020, Lu was named a volunteer member of theJoe Biden presidential transitionAgency Review Team to support transition efforts related to theUnited States Department of Labor.[27]

Ambassador to United Nations[edit]

On April 27, 2021, PresidentJoe Bidennominated Lu to serve as Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for UN Management and Reform. Hearings on his nomination were held before theSenate Foreign Relations Committeeon July 27, 2021. The committee reported his nomination favorably on August 4, 2021. TheUnited States Senateconfirmed Lu on December 18, 2021, byvoice vote,and he was sworn into office on January 4, 2022.[28][29]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Nominations Sent to the Senate".The White House.April 29, 2021.RetrievedApril 29,2021.
  2. ^"Statement from the President on the Departure of Chris Lu".Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. January 25, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2017.RetrievedJune 30,2013.
  3. ^White House Website, "Leadership Bios for Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders"
  4. ^abcdeFalcone, Michael (December 1, 2008)."The New Team: Christopher Lu".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 15, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 24,2017.
  5. ^Incorporated, Prime."National Academy of Public Administration".National Academy of Public Administration.RetrievedApril 11,2023.
  6. ^Hendrix, Steve (December 14, 2008)."For Some on Obama Team, Capital Is Close to Home".The Washington Post.pp. C01.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2017.RetrievedAugust 25,2017.
  7. ^abcdLois Romano(October 22, 2009)."Voices of Power: Chris Lu".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2012.RetrievedOctober 27,2009.
  8. ^"Why He Matters".Washington Post Politics.Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 8,2019.
  9. ^abcdChiu, Christine (April 20, 2008)."Indian-American Chief of Staff Chris Lu assists Obama".World Journal.pp. A–3.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2008.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  10. ^abcdCornelia Hall (November 7, 2008)."Obama taps Lu '88 to help run transition".Daily Princetonian.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2009.RetrievedDecember 30,2008.
  11. ^abcde"Kaleo O Aapi: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders."ArchivedMarch 25, 2009, at theWayback MachineObama for America,official campaign literature, pg.4, July 25, 2008.
  12. ^Lu, Christopher Pey-Ning. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (ed.)."Press Coverage of Presidential Primaries, 1972-1984".{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  13. ^Brown, Carrie Budoff (December 5, 2008)."School buds: 20 Harvard classmates advising Obama".POLITICO.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 8,2019.
  14. ^Martin, Jonathan (February 22, 2009)."Big W.H. role for low-profile Schiliro".Politico.Archivedfrom the original on February 26, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 27,2009.
  15. ^abMendell, David(2007). "Chapter 22: The Senator".Obama: From Promise to Power(1st ed.).New York City:HarperCollins.p.311.ISBN978-0-06-085820-9.
  16. ^Obama, Barack(2008).The Audacity of Hope.New York City,New York:Three Rivers Press.p. 364.ISBN978-0-307-45587-1.
  17. ^abAlter, Jonathan(2010).The Promise: President Obama, Year One.New York City,New York:Simon & Schuster.p.15.ISBN978-1-4391-0119-3.
  18. ^Martha Joynt Kumar, "The 2009-2009 Presidential Transition Through the Voices of Its Participants," Presidential Studies Quarterly, volume 39:4 (December 2009)
  19. ^abPartnership for Public Service, Ready to Govern: Improving the Presidential Transition (January 2010)
  20. ^Ambinder, Marc (November 19, 2008)."Axelrod, Brown, Craig, Lu Announced".The Atlantic.Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2009.RetrievedDecember 7,2008.
  21. ^Palmer, Doug (July 16, 2009)."Do looks matter in China?".Reuters.Archived fromthe originalon August 22, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 9,2009.
  22. ^White House Press Release, "President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to Shanghai, China to Attend U.S.A. National Day at Expo 2010 Shanghai" (June 29, 2010)
  23. ^"White House Release," President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts "".whitehouse.gov.January 8, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2017.RetrievedApril 12,2014– viaNational Archives.
  24. ^Kamen, Al (April 1, 2014)."Lu Confirmed for Labor #2, Whitaker for Colombia".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedAugust 25,2017.
  25. ^Kamen, Al (January 8, 2014)."Obama picks his first Asian American deputy secretary of cabinet department".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2016.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
  26. ^"Chris Lu | Miller Center".Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2019.RetrievedApril 9,2019.
  27. ^"Agency Review Teams".President-Elect Joe Biden.Archived fromthe originalon August 28, 2022.RetrievedNovember 10,2020.
  28. ^"PN552 - Nomination of Christopher P. Lu for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)".www.congress.gov.December 18, 2021.RetrievedJuly 24,2022.
  29. ^"Ambassador Christopher P. Lu".United States Mission to the United Nations.RetrievedJanuary 21,2022.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by White House Cabinet Secretary
2009–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
2014–2017 		Succeeded by
Nancy Rooney
Acting
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