Tina Tchen
Christina M. "Tina" Tchen (born January 25, 1956) is an American lawyer and CEO of Time's Up. Her work centers on issues related to gender inequity, sexual harassment, and lack of diversity in the workplace.[2]
Tina Tchen | |
---|---|
Chief of Staff to the First Lady | |
In office January 5, 2011 – January 20, 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Susan Sher |
Succeeded by | Lindsay Reynolds |
Personal details | |
Born | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | January 25, 1956
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Larry Pressl (Divorced)[1] |
Education | Harvard University (BA) Northwestern University (JD) |
Early life and education
Tchen was born in Columbus, Ohio[3] on January 25, 1956 to Chinese immigrants who fled the People's Republic of China in 1949. Her father worked as a psychiatrist and her mother a scientist.[4] She grew up in Beachwood, Ohio, graduating from Beachwood High School. She graduated from Radcliffe College of Harvard University in 1978,[1] and received her J.D. degree in 1984 from Northwestern University School of Law.
Career
Tchen worked for several years for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget where she served as the Governor's budget analyst for the Department of Children and Family Services. In 1988, Tchen began as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, later becoming a partner at the firm in 1992, where she specialized in litigation in the federal courts.[5][4][6] In 1992, she argued on behalf of the State of Illinois in front of the Supreme Court of the United States in Artist M. v. Suter, which helped reform the state's foster care program by closing a loophole.[4][7][8]
During President Obama's campaign in 2008, Tchen was one of his biggest fundraisers, raising $200,000.[4] From Obama's inauguration in 2009 until January 5, 2011, she was the Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, previously known as the Office of Public Liaison.[6][9] From 2011 until 2017, she served as Assistant to President Barack Obama; Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama; and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.[10][6][11]
In 2017, she became a partner in the law firm Buckley Sander where she led the workplace culture practice and was head of the firm's Chicago office.[12][13][3] In 2018, she was one of the co-founders of Time's Up and lead its legal defense fund that connected victims of sexual harassment with lawyers.[14] The fund has raised more than $24 million by 2019 and has connected more than 3,600 workers in various industries to legal support for sexual harassment cases.[15]
In March 2019, Tchen was hired as an adviser to investigate the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) "workplace culture" after allegations of sexual and racial harassment led to the firing of the SPLC's co-founder and resignation of its president.[16][13] Also that year, she was named chair of the Recording Academy's new task force for inclusion and diversity following Neil Portnow and Ken Ehrlich's disparaging comments about women in the music industry.[17]
On October 7, 2019, Tchen was appointed chief executive officer of Time's Up.[13]
Awards and recognition
- Chicago Lawyer "Person of the Year", 1994[18]
- "Women of Achievement" award from the Anti-Defamation League, 1996[18]
- Leadership Award from the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, 1999[18]
- American Bar Association's Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, 2018[3]
Boards and commissions
- Chicago Bar Association Foundation
- Chicago Public Library (trustee)
- Chinese American Service League (board member)
- Judicial Nominations Commission for the Northern District of Illinois[19]
References
- Skiba, Katherine (2011-01-06). "Michelle Obama's new chief of staff 'energetic' and 'driven'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- "Tina Tchen". Buckley LLP. 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Chicago lawyer Tina M. Tchen to receive ABA Margaret Brent Award". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- Who Runs Gov. "Profiles: Christina M. Tchen" Archived 2009-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, WhoRunsGov.com, accessed August 2, 2009.
- "Christina M. Tchen". Washington Post. 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
- "Tina Tchen to Join Office of the First Lady as Chief of Staff". Washington, DC: The White House Office of the First Lady. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- "Christina M Tchen - Skadden, Arps". web.archive.org. 2008-12-31. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Suter v. Artist M." Oyez. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Engagement, Women, Health Care, and Yarn". Washington, DC: The White House Office of Public Engagement. 2009-05-18. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- "Tina Tchen to become Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff". Washington, DC: Asian American Action Fund. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- "Council on Women and Girls: Leadership". Washington, DC: The White House Council on Women and Girls. 2009-10-01. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- Sisario, Ben (2018-03-06). "Time's Up Co-Founder Will Head Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- Zraick, Karen (October 7, 2019). "Tina Tchen, Ex-Obama Aide Will Take Over Time's Up". The New York Times.
- Buckley, Cara (2018-01-01). "Powerful Hollywood Women Unveil Anti-Harassment Action Plan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Tina Tchen will become president and chief executive of Time's Up". Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- Burch, Audra D. S.; Blinder, Alan; Eligon, John (2019-03-25). "Roiled by Staff Uproar, Civil Rights Group Looks at Intolerance Within". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- "Time's Up Leader Tina Tchen To Head Recording Academy's Diversity Task Force". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- lcrenshaw (2015-02-23). "Tina Tchen". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Christina M. Tchen". Washington, DC: The White House Office of Public Engagement. 2009-08-31. Archived from the original on 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christina Tchen. |
- Profile at White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs at WhiteHouse.gov
- Council on Women and Girls at WhiteHouse.gov
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Joining the Office of the First Lady, Tina Tchen, WhiteHouse.gov, January 5, 2011
- "Christina Tchen". Chicago Chinese News. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- Tina Tchen Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America