- David and Diane Steffy Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in Public Policy, Stanford University
- Member, United States Social Security Advisory Board
- CNN Political Commentator
- Former Senior Adviser to the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Senator Marco Rubio
- Policy Director, Romney-Ryan 2012 Presidential Campaign
- David and Diane Steffy Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in Public Policy, Stanford University
- Member, United States Social Security Advisory Board
- CNN Political Commentator
- Former Senior Adviser to the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Senator Marco Rubio
- Policy Director, Romney-Ryan 2012 Presidential Campaign
Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. is the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies, Co-Chair of the Health Care Policy Working Group, and a member of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region at the Hoover Institution. He is also the Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University.
A veteran of several high-profile political campaigns and himself a candidate for statewide office in California, Chen has worked in politics, government, business, and academia.
In addition to his academic appointments, Chen is an NBC News Contributor and writes a column for CNN Opinion. He is also a Partner at the Brunswick Group, a global business advisory firm, where he advises clients around the world on public affairs and geopolitical issues. Chen is a member of the Board of Directors at El Camino Health in Northern California and is on the Advisory Council of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF).
Chen was a candidate for California State Controller, the state’s chief financial officer, in 2022. He earned more votes than any other Republican candidate in the country in the general election and won endorsements from every major newspaper in the state.
Chen has advised numerous major political campaigns, including as a senior aide to four U.S. presidential efforts. In 2012, he was policy director of the Romney-Ryan campaign, and served as Governor Mitt Romney’s chief policy adviser, a senior strategist on the campaign, and the person responsible for developing the campaign’s domestic and foreign policy.
From 2014 to 2018, Chen served as a presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed member of the Social Security Advisory Board—an independent, bipartisan panel that advises the president, Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on matters related to the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. He also served in the George W. Bush Administration as a senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Chen earned his Ph.D. and A.M. in Political Science from Harvard University; his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School; and his A.B. magna cum laude in Government from Harvard College.
