Meet Genie Chough
Chief Deputy Director, Child Support Services Department
What advice would you give to someone starting out in LA County? As an introvert, I was the kid who sat in the back of the class, hoping not to get called on. Early in my career, I went against my every instinct by speaking up in search of new opportunities. Once, after a big meeting, I followed an attendee to the elevator, handed her my business card, and sheepishly asked for an informational interview. Months later, I was working for her at the White House.
AAPIs make up 13% of working professionals in the nation, but as we move up the ladder, we occupy just 6% of leadership roles. Is that due to discrimination or media depictions? Collectively, are we left out of conversations or not jumping in enough? I don’t know but we’ve got to try, right? The worst that can happen is they say “no.” Go outside your comfort zone, take risks, make the ask.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful in your career? Being authentic and transparent. People can smell “fake” a mile away and either tune out or turn off. When you’re real and you share and you listen, you build trust. And trust is so foundational in every relationship—whether your colleagues, your partner, or your dog. Strong relationships not only help you succeed but are also rewarding. Those positive connections are what make for a good day.
What are your success habits? I’m very surprised at the impact my $5 gratitude journal has had on my life. I take a minute every morning to set my intention for the day. I take a couple more minutes at the end of the day to reflect on what went well and what I learned. It’s a way to be more mindful of priorities, learnings, and things that nourish or deplete me.
Whose career inspires you and why? The top of that list is my mom, Hyon. She was a child during the Korean War, immigrated to a foreign country, and built her own business while raising a family. She found the intersection between what she loved and what she was good at, merging her love for art and design with her instinct for business to launch a career in the male-dominated furniture industry. I learn so much from watching her.
During the 1992 riots, I started to follow the attorney activist, Angela Oh. It was so inspiring to see someone who looked like me in the public policy arena.
The latest addition to my list is Ketanji Jackson Brown. Not only is she a pioneer for women of color, but also for Public Defenders. She credits high school debate for success in law and life. My daughter is a debater and I hope she is inspired by 7 the SCOTUS nominee. Can you imagine the day when we have an AAPI on that bench?
How do you push through your worst times? One of the best things about getting old is knowing that time heals most wounds. So when things are “pinch-me” good, I savor it, take it all in and hope it lasts as long as possible. And when things get rough, I talk it through with my husband and friends, find the lesson to be learned, and look forward to the day when the situation is a distant memory.
What mistakes have you made along the way? If you could start all over again, what would you do differently? When I first transitioned into a leadership role, I made the mistake of being “too” authentic and showing my stress—not having the self-management skills to know that leaders need to remain cool under fire. Especially in the face of a crisis, an unflappable leader brings a sense of safety and reassurance to the whole team—ultimately bringing the best out of them when it’s needed most.
Have you personally experienced any form of discrimination as an Asian American?
“Ching chong”
“Slanty eyes”
“Are you Chinese or Japanese?”
“Do you eat rice all the time?”
“Konichiwa!”
“Go back to China — stop taking our jobs!”
These remarks made regular appearances throughout my childhood in the San Fernando Valley in the ‘80s. As a teenager waiting for a bus, a man hurled an orange at me, yelling at me to go back to my country. I learned to carry a defensive posture. Other times, I was simply annoyed that our Korean family would be seated at the restaurant table back by the bathrooms again. Later, I learned that we were privileged because we could go to restaurants. And that a true meritocracy didn’t yet exist in America. And that others had it way harder than I could ever imagine.
I dedicated my career to trying to level the playing field. I started at the federal level, spent some time in Sacramento, and then made my way home to LA County where our departments are the safety net for Angelenos who need us most. I’m back in the Valley, raising my daughters, and it’s definitely better for them, but we still have a long way to go. Just today, on the anniversary of the Atlanta spa killings, NPR reported that 62% of hate crime reports are made by AAPI women. It has got to stop.
In the important county work that you’re doing, are there any issues that you could highlight about the county’s AAPI community? I love the diversity of the County workforce. Have you ever been in an elevator at work surrounded by people from all walks of life, with vastly different backgrounds, and thought to yourself, “LA is the best”? The diversity of the AAPI community is so deep and geographically expansive, but being so dispersed can undermine our efforts to have our interested represented by elected officials. I was thrilled to read this publication’s article on redistricting and how that impacts our community. We need to be more visible and heard.
In light of the rise in AAPI hate crimes that are occurring in our community, what are some (or one thing) our community can do as a response? I’m really optimistic about the impact that the County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) initiative can have. We are fortunate to have a Board that prioritizes racial equity and brought on D’Artagnan Scorza as Executive Director. He and his ARDI team are leading us to focus on improving life-course outcomes for our residents—outcomes like decreasing infant mortality, reducing poverty, and improving educational attainment.
To get there, we all need to start with the same facts, whether historical facts that were omitted from our classrooms or data about systemic racism. I hope we can also get to a place where we can feel free to have courageous conversations about race. After decades of striving to be “colorblind” or live in a “melting pot,” I think our County community is ready to engage in meaningful debate and discussion, ask hard questions, and show grace when answering.
As Chief Deputy Director for the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (CSSD), Genie supports the Director in planning, evaluating and directing all day-to-day operations of the Department. Previously, she served as Administrative Deputy overseeing budget and finance, human resources, contracts/procurement, equity initiatives, emergency management, and facilities. Genie joins CSSD with over 25 years’ experience at the local, State and federal levels of government on budget and policy issues affecting children and families. Prior to CSSD, Genie served as an advisor to elected officials and policymakers, including Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Zev Yaroslavsky, First 5 LA, and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). In 2001, she was appointed by the Governor to serve as Assistant Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency and Ex Officio member of the First 5 California Commission. Genie previously worked in the White House as Assistant Director of the Domestic Policy Council, as well as for the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget of the US Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. Genie is a native of Los Angeles, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, Goldman School of Public Policy. She lives in Sherman Oaks with her spouse and two teenage daughters.
