Chau Vu is one of few Vietnamese Women in Public Works

Chau Vu is one of very few Vietnamese-American women who found their way to City Public Works, which takes care of the water and sewer pipes as well as the storm drain system, arterial roadways, street lights and other infrastructure that quietly keep Huntington Beach on track.

Vu serves as Deputy Public Works Director – and was just appointed as rotating Acting Director — for the City of Huntington Beach and says it was her mother who inspired her to succeed.

“My mother broke barriers for Vietnamese women during her time,” said Vu.  “She was educated, spoke three languages, drove a car and was computer-literate during a time when that was rare.  I have four daughters of my own and I can only hope that I might inspire them to not only be good human beings, but also be fierce, like my mother was.”

Vu has more than 20 years of experience working for cities throughout Orange County and Los Angeles.  She holds a BA in political science from UC Irvine and a Masters of Public Administration from Cal State Fullerton.

During her down time, Vu enjoys fishing with her husband and shopping with her girls.