Michelle Park Steel
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| Michelle Park Steel | |
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| Born | Seoul, South Korea |
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| Nationality | United States of America |
| Occupation | California State Board of Equalization Member |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shawn Steel |
| Children | Cheyenne, 19; Siobhan, 16 |
| Michelle Park Steel | ||||||||
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Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel is a Republican member of the California Board of Equalization and is currently the highest ranking Korean American officeholder in the United States.[1][2]
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[edit] Early life
Born in South Korea to a Shanghai-born father (a prominent member of the Korean independence movement), Steel was educated in South Korea, Japan, and the United States. She holds a degree in Business from Pepperdine University and is fluent in Korean and Japanese.[2]
Steel's interest in tax issues began at an early age when she watched her mother fight what they believed was an unwarranted Board of Equalization tax bill. As an immigrant small business owner, Steel's mother lacked the resources to successfully fight the massive state agency and reluctantly acceded to the Board's demands.
Steel began her community involvement as a commentator on Radio Seoul, a position she continues to hold. She has also volunteered for several youth organizations, including Options House, a local emergency shelter helping runaway children, and the Coalition of Brothers and Sisters Unlimited, an African-American after-school program.[1]
Steel and her husband, former California Republican Party Chairman Shawn Steel, have been married for twenty-five years. They live in Palos Verdes with their two children – Cheyenne, 19, and Siobhan, 16.[1]
[edit] Political career
[edit] Early career
From 2001-2003, Steel has served on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under President George W. Bush, the California World Trade Commission, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, and the Los Angeles Airport and Fire Commissions. She was later appointed to the White House Conference on Aging under President George W. Bush.
She served as Deputy Board of Equalization Member to Claude Parrish. Her public policy experience also includes service as a member of the California Orange County Deputy District Office: Korean American Community Commission and member of the Tax Advisory Committee for the State Board of Equalization.
Outside of government, she has also been active in Republican Party positions, serving as a board member for the Korean American Republican Association and having been an honorary chair of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign.
[edit] Election to the Board of Equalization
Elected to the Board of Equalization in 2006, Michelle Steel serves as the country’s highest ranking Korean American officeholder and California’s highest ranking Republican woman.[1] She represents more than eight million people in the Board of Equalization's Third District, which includes the counties of Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and portions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Steel promised to protect taxpayers from the overbearing government that her family encountered. A signatory of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, she has stated she will oppose all new taxes and tax increases, and when adjudicating tax appeals, will always presume that a taxpayer is innocent until proven guilty.[1]
| Preceded by Claude Parrish |
California State Board of Equalization Member 3rd District 2007–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Steel, Michelle Park. Board Member Michelle Steel. California State Board of Equalization. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ a b "亞裔支持朴銀珠選稅委 (Asian Americans support Park's election to tax board)", 2006-08-23. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
