Derek Kan
Derek Kan | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1978 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, public official |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | Governor of the United States Postal Service, Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget |
Derek Tai-Ching Kan (; born August 15, 1978) is an American entrepreneur and public official who has been serving as a governor of the United States Postal Service since 2022. In 2020, he held the position of deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget, and from 2017 to 2019, he was the under secretary for transportation policy, receiving Senate confirmation on four occasions.
Kan's private sector experience includes roles with technology startups, Bain & Company, Elliott Management, Lyft, Oaktree Capital Management, and Toll Brothers.
His academic credentials include degrees from the University of Southern California, the London School of Economics, and Stanford University.
Career
Kan launched his professional journey in 2004 as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget. Between 2006 and 2010, he functioned as a policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and served as chief economist for the Senate Republican Policy Committee, playing a role during the 2008 financial crisis and in the implementation of Dodd-Frank legislation.
From 2012 to 2014, Kan worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company, followed by his tenure as director of strategy at Silicon Valley biotech startup Genapsys (2014–2015), which was subsequently acquired by Sequencing Health. He has also provided advisory services to Elliott Management Corporation.
In 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Kan to join the board of Amtrak, where he received unanimous Senate confirmation. Before his appointment at the Department of Transportation, Kan was general manager for Lyft’s Southern California operations from 2015 until 2017.
President Donald Trump nominated him in April 2017 to serve as under secretary for transportation policy at the United States Department of Transportation. After Senate approval in November 2017, Kan concentrated on promoting policies related to autonomous vehicles. He stepped down in July 2019 to assume the role of executive associate director at the Office of Management and Budget.
In 2019, Kan was briefly considered by the Trump administration for a position on the Federal Reserve board. The following year, he became part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. In November 2021, President Biden nominated Kan to serve on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service; his appointment was confirmed by the Senate in May 2022.
By 2021, Kan was acting as an external advisor to Oaktree Capital Group, concentrating on infrastructure and emerging technologies. In December that year, he joined the board of directors at Toll Brothers. By 2022, Kan was also serving on the board of e-commerce fulfillment company Deliverr, maintaining his involvement after its acquisition by Shopify, where he held a vice president position as of 2023.
Education
Kan earned an MBA from Stanford University, where he was recognized as an Arjay Miller Scholar. Additionally, he holds an MSc in economic history from the London School of Economics and a BS in business administration from the University of Southern California.