Chris Lu was sworn in as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for Management and Reform on January 4, 2022, after being nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. On behalf of the U.S. Mission, Chris leads the negotiations on the UN budget, coordinates oversight of UN programs, and manages cross-cutting reform issues.
Chris’ public service career has spanned all three branches of the federal government. From 2014 to 2017, he served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor. In this role, Chris was the chief operating officer of a department with 17,000 employees and a $12 billion budget.
From 2009 to 2013, he served as White House Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to the President, where he was President Obama’s primary liaison to the federal agencies. President Obama said of Chris’ service: “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 proud son of immigrants, Chris is one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans ever to have served in the federal government. As Deputy Secretary of the Labor Department, Chris was only the second Asian American to hold that position in any cabinet department. During the Obama Administration, Chris also co-chaired the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Prior to his service in the executive branch, Chris was Legislative Director and Acting Chief of Staff for then-Senator Obama. The day after Election Day 2008, Chris was named Executive Director of the Obama-Biden transition planning efforts, which was widely recognized as one of the most successful in history.
A lawyer by training, Chris began his career as a law clerk for Judge Robert E. Cowen on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a litigation attorney at Sidley Austin. He also spent eight years as Deputy Chief Counsel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Outside of government, Chris has been a senior advisor at FiscalNote, a global technology and AI company. He has also held fellowships at the University of Virginia, University of Chicago, and Georgetown University.
Chris is the co-editor of the book, Triumphs and Tragedies of the Modern Congress, and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Chris is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from MacMurray College.
