What Drives White House Cabinet Sec. Chris Lu

As White House Cabinet Secretary, Chris Lu acts as a liaison between the White House and the cabinet.  Previously, he has been legislative director for Barack Obama in the Senate.  He has known the president since law school in Harvard.  They have remained friends since Obama first hired him as Senate staff.  He is a New Jersey-born Chinese American who has never been to China until last summer on an official White House assignment.

In her recent interview with White House Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu, The Washington Post’s Lois Romano gives us a glimpse on what it feels being one the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the White House, being off on a mission to China for the first time, and working for President Obama.¹

What it means to be one of the most senior Asian Americans in the White House
Mr. Lu acknowledges that it means a great deal to him, but he attributes his success not only to himself but also to his Chinese immigrant parents.

There is not a day that goes by that, as I park my car by the West Wing and walk into my office in the West Wing, that I don't think about my parents and how fortunate I am and how this incredible opportunity that I have is not only the result of what I've accomplished, but all that they've accomplished, as well as all that other Asian-Americans before me.

Recalling the time that it really hit him that he now works in the White House and then later brining his mother over to visit his office, Mr. Lu becomes emotional—uncharacteristically so, from his own perspective—regretting that his father did not live to see such a moment.

I think she was awed too that her son was here, and my mom and I are very close. We're not emotional people, but, you know, she said, "Your dad would have been very proud of you, if he could have seen that." And I think we kind of both teared up a little bit.

What it’s like meeting with Chinese government officials
Mr. Lu has never been to China until last summer as part of an official delegation.  Meeting with Chinese officials, he confesses that while he was speechless he felt a connection with them.  It helped that he could understand some Chinese.

I think they felt a--they felt a kinship to us. All three of us are Chinese-Americans. We all obviously represent the American government. That's obviously our first priority. But they felt a kinship. The fact that to varying degrees we all understand some Chinese, we can all say some words of Chinese I think made the conversation and made the meetings a little bit more personal.

Mr. Lu felt that, even though he is not an expert on China policy, it did matter that the administration sent over their top three Asian Americans for such a mission.

In Chinese culture, relationships are very important. And having Chinese-Americans come over as the representatives of the government I think was important.

What he thinks about his friend, his boss, our president
Chris Lu spoke of the president with fondness and respect, reflecting on the personal relationship they have molded together over the years, and highlighting not only the chief’s charismatic presence but also his ideals, which resonate strongly across various groups. 

We have a very close relationship. It's a playful relationship. I'm very comfortable making fun of him. He's very comfortable making fun of me. I guess the only difference now is I can't call him Barack anymore.

I think he really embodies a lot of the hopes of all kinds of people in this country. People who are liberal see liberal qualities of him. People who are conservative see conservative qualities of him. He's multi-racial, so he embodies the spirit of different ethnic and racial groups. He really is, in many ways, the embodiment of the American dream.

Too bad the White House website does not carry any profile for the Cabinet Secretary.  There are other online sources² describing Mr. Lu accomplishments, but they serve no more than an expanded Linked In profile, which definitely fall short of what Miss Romano has effectively captured in her interview.

What drives Chris Lu
Mr. Chris Lu’s regard for the value of relationships is apparent in his reflections of family and friends.  This extends to his appreciation of opportunities in connecting with other notwithstanding possible differences.

¹Lois Romano, “Voices of Power: Interviews with Washington's power players—An old classmate in a key role”, The Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2009
²whorunsgov.com