Background
Tchen was born in the United States. to Chinese immigrants who fled Communist China in 1949. Her father worked as a psychiatrist and her mother as a scientist She grew up in Beachwood, Ohio where she graduated from Beachwood High School.
陈远美, 陳遠美
Tchen was born in the United States. to Chinese immigrants who fled Communist China in 1949. Her father worked as a psychiatrist and her mother as a scientist She grew up in Beachwood, Ohio where she graduated from Beachwood High School.
She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1978, and received her law degree in 1984 from Northwestern University School of Law.
From the date of Obama"s inauguration until January 5, 2011, she was the Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, previously known as the Office of Public Liaison. She has known Amy Rule, Rahm Emanuel"s wife, since they were teenagers together in suburban Cleveland. After graduation from Radcliffe, 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.
She then went to law school, and after graduation went to work as an associate attorney for the Chicago office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
Tchen worked at Skadden for 25 years where she specialized in litigation at all levels of the state and federal courts. She represented companies, officers and directors in shareholder class and derivative actions.
She also handled a wide range of commercial, intellectual property, and employment-related litigation, and represented public agencies in state and federal class actions, including the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Public Aid and the Chicago Housing Authority. She was a partner at Skadden for 13 years before her appointment to the Obama administration.
Tchen has served on several boards for organizations involved in public, legal and social policy: the Chicago Bar Association Foundation.
The Field Foundation of Illinois (chair of the board). The Chicago Public Library (trustee). And the Chinese American Service League (board member).
Tchen has served on the Judicial Nominations Commission for the Northern District of Illinois and has served in several leadership positions with the American Bar Association Litigation Section.
Tchen made 13 donations totaling $7,850 to various Democratic political campaigns in 2008. She was also an early supporter of Barack Obama"s run for the United States. presidency, and was an effective fundraiser for his campaign.