Angela Chao

Angela Chao(March 4, 1973 – February 11, 2024)was an Americanbillionairebusinesswoman who was CEO of theForemost Group.
OfChinese Americanheritage, Chao was born inSyosset, New York, and grew up inHarrison, New York.Her father wasJames S. C. Chao, who founded Foremost Group in 1964.Her mother wasRuth Mulan Chu Chao.She was the youngest of six sisters, one of whom isElaine Chao, former US Secretary of Transportation.Her parents were born in mainland China, but fled to Taiwan in 1949 due to theChinese 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 toHarvardfor her undergraduate degree, which she completed in three years, graduatingmagna cum laudewith a degree in economics in 1994.She went on to receive her MBA fromHarvard Business School.
Chao worked in mergers and acquisitions atSmith Barney, now a part ofMorgan Stanley. She joined their family business Foremost Group in 1996,where she succeeded her father as CEO in 2018.Foremost Group operates a global fleet ofbulk carriers. As CEO, she became interested in adding more environmentally sustainable vessels that can burnalternative fuelsto the company's roster.
She served as a member of the board of theBank of China, a vice chair of the Council of China's Foreign Trade and a director of theChina State Shipbuilding Corporation, aChinese government-owned enterprise that makes ships for theChinese military, Foremost Group and other customers.She was a member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations.Chao was a founding member ofThe Asian American Foundationand the co-chair of its education committee.
Chao marriedBruce Wassersteinin January 2009,before his death in October of that year. She marriedJim Breyerin 2012;the couple had a son three years prior to her death.Chao and Breyer had moved to the Austin area during theCOVID-19 pandemic.  They bought a mansion indowntown Austinand a ranch inJohnson City. They had previously split their time between New York City and San Francisco, but before their son was born, they decided to raise him in Austin.
On the evening of February 10, 2024, Chao was celebrating theLunar New Yearwith friends at her Johnson City ranch.As her guests began going home, at around 11:30 p.m., she got into herTesla Model XSUV and accidentally backed into a pond. The car began sinking, and Chao was unable to open her door or break the glass as the car filled with water. Chao was on the phone for eight minutes as the car sank, from around 11:42 to 11:50 p.m., telling her friend she was going to die.Onlookers called 911 and attempted to help.Blanco Countyemergency personnel arrived around midnight and tried to extricate her from the submerged car.
A deputy broke the driver's door window, found Chao, and dragged her to shore.EMSworkers delivered "advanced life support" for 43 minutes but were unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead at 1:40 a.m. on February 11; she was 50 years old.A March 2024 police investigation concluded that Chao "had a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.233 grams per 100 milliliters, above the legal limit in Texas of .08 grams per 100 milliliters". The investigation also concluded that Chao's death was the result of an accident.The design of the Tesla Model X's reverse gear has been previously criticized by some users as confusing.