Christopher Lu completes inaugural class of Miller Center Senior Fellows

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — The Miller Center has now completed its first class of Senior Fellows with the announcement that Christopher P. Lu, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, has joined five other accomplished government and academic professionals. Lu will add his unique perspective and experiences to the Center’s scholarly expertise in U.S. presidential and political history.

Beginning in January 2017, Lu and his colleagues will publish essays and op-eds as resident experts on the presidency and public policy, make themselves available to the media for commentary and perspective on current events, assist in advancing the Center's work with former White House officials, and contribute to social media initiatives through online chats and live videos.

Lu brings to the Miller Center a wealth of knowledge gained over the course of a 20-year career in public service. Prior to joining the Department of Labor in 2014, Lu was the White House cabinet secretary and assistant to the president, serving as President Obama’s primary liaison to federal departments and agencies. He was also the executive director of the Obama-Biden Transition Project in 2008. Lu has experience in other branches of government as well, having served as then-Senator Obama’s legislative director, an aide to Representative Henry Waxman, and a clerk for Judge Robert E. Cowan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Lu joins these previously announced Senior Fellows:

Melody Barnes

• Co-founder and principal of MBSquared Solutions, a domestic policy firm
• Former assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council for President Barack Obama
• Former chief counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy

Eric Edelman

• James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center
• Former undersecretary for defense policy for President George W. Bush
• Former national security advisor to Vice President Richard Cheney
• Former ambassador to the Republics of Finland and Turkey for the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations

Mary Kate Cary

• Columnist at US News & World Report
• Political analyst for NPR, ABC News, CNN, and Fox News Channel
• Former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush
• Member of the University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences Foundation Board
• Graduate of the University of Virginia, CLAS 1985

Saikrishna Prakash

• Specialist in constitutional law, foreign relations law, and presidential powers at the University of Virginia School of Law
• Former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Author of Imperial from the Beginning: The Constitution of the Original Executive

Douglas Blackmon

• Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Slavery by Another Name
• Host of the Miller Center’s American Forum television program
• Co-author of a forthcoming memoir and public policy volume with former Attorney General Eric Holder

Media wishing to reach Lu or any of the new Senior Fellows should contact the Miller Center’s media relations team:

Howard Witt: howardwitt@virginia.edu 434 924 6051
Tom van der Voort: tvdvoort@virginia.edu 434 962 2863