Prior to becoming Deputy Director for CEO Amanda Bennett, Kelu Chao served as the Acting CEO from January 2021 to September 2022.
Ms. Chao has worked in U.S. public international media for approximately 40 years. Prior to her appointment as USAGM’s Acting CEO, Ms. Chao served as the Director for Programming for the Voice of America. In this capacity, she oversaw VOA’s production and distribution of television, radio, internet, social media, and mobile content in 47 languages. Ms. Chao has held a number of other senior positions, including serving as Acting Director of VOA from 2015 to 2016 and as the Director of the agency’s former Office of Performance Review, where she was responsible for program review, management efficiency, and research.
Ms. Chao began her journalism career as a studio announcer, field reporter, and editor. Later, she was VOA’s Hong Kong Bureau Chief, Chief of its Mandarin Language Service, and Director of VOA’s East Asia Division. A native of Taiwan, Ms. Chao earned a Bachelor’s in Journalism from National Chengchi University and Masters in both Speech Communication and Instructional Media from Kent State University. Besides journalism, she has a passion for music and is a trained classical pianist.