A Conversation With Chris Lu, James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia

Chris Lu’s impressive résumé spans Capitol Hill, the West Wing, and the United Nations, covering all three branches of the federal government and Senate-confirmed roles in both domestic and foreign policy. But his career story, he says, is defined more by purpose than titles. “What’s kept me going is the chance to get up every day and try to solve problems.”

Having accepted parallel appointments at the University of Virginia and Harvard in the last year, Lu hopes to teach the next generation why such work matters to him. “It’s been inspiring to work with young people who still believe in public service and want to make a difference.”

As James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, Lu is lending his perspective to the study of current domestic and foreign policy issues, as well as the enduring impact of the American presidency. As a resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, he teaches and audits classes on the same campus where he once attended law school.

In both roles, he welcomes the opportunity to immerse himself in academia. “I’ve been privileged to see so many different perspectives of how our government functions,” he says, “Now I’m enjoying the chance to step back and work with academics who are studying these same issues.”

Though the majority of his career has been in government, it began with a determinative four and a half years in Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office, which he says informed many of the principles he subscribes to today. “I chose Sidley because the people were incredibly smart, but they also treated others with respect.”

He gained experience working on civil and appellate litigation, as well as pro bono immigration matters: “Pro bono work was a great way to give back to the community and develop real world skills.” He recalls admiring the commitment of then-Sidley partner Ron Flagg, who led the firm’s pro bono initiatives and is now president of the nonprofit Legal Services Corporation.

Lu also fondly remembers the example set by Sidley partner Carter Phillips, who was the Washington, D.C. office managing partner at the time. “Carter is incredibly smart and kind. He ran a great office with decency and humor. Those are values I’ve tried to carry with me throughout my career.”

After leaving Sidley, Lu served in increasingly senior public service positions, including as White House Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to President Barack Obama and later as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor from 2014 to 2017, and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform under President Joe Biden.

While at the UN, where Lu served from 2022 to 2025, he oversaw budget negotiations and reform initiatives, drawing upon his legal experience to help bridge differences. “Working with Tom Green at Sidley taught me how to be tough when I needed to be. Diplomacy requires that same toughness but also knowing when and how to compromise.

During his time as ambassador, he spearheaded the development and passage of the first-ever United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, a six-month effort to bring 193 countries to consensus that coincided with a tense period of global conflict. The resolution, adopted in March 2024, set a framework for how all countries in the world will address artificial intelligence going forward.

“I’ve spent a good chunk of my career around Congress, and I always thought it was hard for Democrats and Republicans to get along,” Lu says. “When you’re at the United Nations negotiating with the Russians and the Chinese, it’s a whole different level of complexity.”

Despite the difficulties inherent in global diplomacy and government service, for Lu, there is “no more important time to go into public service. We have enormous challenges in this country and in the world. We’re not going to solve these problems without good people getting engaged.”

When his schedule allows, Lu enjoys testing his limits by training for and running in marathons. He has completed 35 of them, many with his wife of 26 years, Katie Thomson, who he met when they were both associates at Sidley.

Lu’s marathon strategy mirrors the principled approach he has brought to his professional life: “The real hard work isn’t the race; it’s the training, discipline, and commitment.”

Read our previous interview with Chris here.

Published October 2026

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