Of
Chinese (with
Taiwanese heritage) descent, Chao was born in
Syosset, New York, and grew up in
Harrison, New York. Her mother was
Ruth Mulan Chu Chao. She was the youngest of six sisters, one of whom is
Elaine Chao, former US Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor. Her parents were born in mainland China, but fled to Taiwan in 1949 due to the
Chinese Civil War. Her father came to the United States in 1958, while her mother and three oldest sisters moved to the United States in 1961. At the age of nine, Chao began joining her father on ship visits. Chao went to
Harvard for her undergraduate degree, which she completed in three years, graduating
magna cum laude with a degree in economics in 1994. She went on to receive her
M.B.A. from
Harvard Business School. ==Career==