Christopher Lu

During a 20-year career in public service, Chris Lu worked in all three branches of the federal government, including seven years in the Obama Administration.

From 2014 to 2017, Chris was deputy secretary of labor, after being confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. From 2009 to 2013, Chris was White House cabinet secretary and assistant to the president, serving as Barack Obama’s primary liaison to the federal agencies. At the end of the first term, Obama said: “Through his dedication and tireless efforts, Chris has overseen one of the most stable and effective cabinets in history – a cabinet that has produced extraordinary accomplishments over the past four years.”

The son of immigrants, Chris was only the second Asian American in history to become a deputy secretary of a cabinet department. During the first term of the Obama Administration, he also co-chaired the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Prior to his service in the executive branch, Chris worked for then-Senator Obama, first as legislative director, and then as acting chief of staff. During the 2008 presidential primaries, Chris was tasked by Senator Obama to begin planning for a possible presidential transition. The day after Election Day 2008, Chris became executive director of the Obama-Biden transition planning efforts.

His government experience includes eight years working for Rep. Henry Waxman as deputy chief counsel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and serving as a law clerk for Judge Robert E. Cowen on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Chris is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from MacMurray College. He is the co-editor of the book Triumphs and Tragedies of the Modern Congress (2014).