Born in Taipei, Taiwan, to parents who fled mainland China, Elaine L. Chao immigrates to the United States aboard a freight ship. She is eight years old. Chao studies economics and business and is granted a White House Fellowship in 1983. By 1986, Chao is the deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, eventually going on to head the department. She serves as director of the Peace Corps and president and CEO of the United Way of America. As secretary of labor, Chao pursues regulatory and legislative reforms, updates labor union financial disclosure regulations, and revises white collar overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In June 2011, Chao receives the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.