Michelle Park Steel
Encyclopedia
Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel (born June 21, 1955) is the Vice Chair of the California
Board of Equalization
, the Republican
member representing the Board's 3rd District. She is currently the highest ranking Korean American
officeholder in the United States
.
, South Korea
. Her Shanghai
-born grandfather was a prominent member of the Korean independence movement
and her parents were diplomats and educators. Steel was born and educated in South Korea
, Japan
, and the United States
. She holds a degree in Business from Pepperdine University
, an Executive MBA from the University of Southern California
and is fluent in Korean
and Japanese
.
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 from 1993 until 2007. 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.
Steel and her husband, former California Republican Party
Chairman and current Republican National Committee
Committeeman from California Shawn Steel
, have been married for twenty-five years. They live in Palos Verdes
with their two children – Cheyenne, 24, and Siobhan, 21. Cheyenne is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the California College Republicans.
s and Pacific Islander
s 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
.
Her public policy experience 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
.
officeholder and California's highest ranking Republican woman. 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.
In 2011, she was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Equalization.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Board of Equalization
State Board of Equalization (California)
The State Board of Equalization is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The areas of authority of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes, and acting as an appellate body...
, the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member representing the Board's 3rd District. She is currently the highest ranking Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
officeholder in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Steel was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Her Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
-born grandfather was a prominent member of the Korean independence movement
Korean independence movement
The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...
and her parents were diplomats and educators. Steel was born and educated in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She holds a degree in Business from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
, an Executive MBA from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and is fluent in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
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 from 1993 until 2007. 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.
Steel and her husband, former California Republican Party
California Republican Party
The California Republican Party is the California affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party chairman is Tom Del Beccaro and is based in Burbank, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The RPC also has a headquarters in Sacramento....
Chairman and current Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
Committeeman from California Shawn Steel
Shawn Steel
Shawn Steel is the Republican National Committeeman from California. Elected in 2008, he will serve a four year term. Steel challenged the Treasurer of the RNC and won at the California Republican Party state convention with a 61 to 39% vote with over 1200 ballots cast...
, have been married for twenty-five years. They live in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes is a name often used to refer to a group of coastal cities in the Palos Verdes Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S...
with their two children – Cheyenne, 24, and Siobhan, 21. Cheyenne is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the California College Republicans.
Early career
From 2001-2003, Steel has served on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian AmericanAsian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
s and Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
s under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, the California World Trade Commission, the Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
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
White House Conference on Aging
The White House Conference on Aging is a once-a-decade conference sponsored by the Executive Office of the President of the United States which makes policy recommendations to the president and Congress regarding the aged. The first of its kind,the goals of the conference are to promote the...
under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Her public policy experience includes service as a member of the California Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego 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
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
positions, serving as a board member for the Korean American Republican Association and having been an honorary chair of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
's 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign
California gubernatorial election, 2006
The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. The incumbent Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won re election for his first full term. His main opponent was California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the...
.
Election to the Board of Equalization
Elected to the Board of Equalization in 2006, Michelle Steel serves as the country’s highest ranking Korean AmericanKorean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
officeholder and California's highest ranking Republican woman. She represents more than eight million people in the Board of Equalization's Third District, which includes the counties of Imperial
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the...
, Orange
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, San Diego
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
, and portions of Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
and San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
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.
In 2011, she was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Equalization.