White House Profile
Chris Lu
Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary

As the Cabinet Secretary in the White House, Chris Lu is President Obama’s primary liaison to the Cabinet departments and agencies, helping to coordinate policy and communications strategy. He plays a critical role in managing the flow of information between the White House and the federal departments and in representing the interests of the Cabinet to the White House. Lu also serves as co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Lu is one of President Obama’s longest-serving advisors, starting in 2005 as Legislative Director for then-Senator Obama, before becoming Acting Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate office. After Election Day 2008, Lu was named the Executive Director of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.

His 15 years of government experience includes eight years as Deputy Chief Counsel of the House Government Reform Committee (Democratic Staff). During the 2004 general election, Lu served as Special Advisor for Communications for the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign.

A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Lu started his career as a law clerk to Judge Robert E. Cowen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then spent four years as a litigation associate at Sidley & Austin in Washington, D.C.

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