Michelle Steel | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2026 | |
| United States Ambassador to South Korea | |
| Assumed office August 4, 2026 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Philip S. Goldberg |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Harley Rouda |
| Succeeded by | Derek Tran |
| Constituency | 48th district (2021–2023) 45th district (2023–2025) |
| Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 14, 2020 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lisa Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Do |
| In office January 10, 2017 – January 9, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Lisa Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Do |
| Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Moorlach |
| Succeeded by | Katrina Foley |
| Member of the California State Board of Equalization from the 3rd district | |
| In office January 5, 2007 – January 5, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Claude Parrish |
| Succeeded by | Diane Harkey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michelle Eunjoo Park June 21, 1955 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Pepperdine University (BA) University of Southern California (MBA) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 박은주 |
| Hanja | 朴銀珠 |
| RR | Bak Eunju |
| MR | Pak Ŭnju |
Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel (born June 21, 1955) is a South Korean-born American politician who has been the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea since 2026. She was the U.S. Representative for California's 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2025. She beat incumbent Democrat Harley Rouda in the 2020 election. She lost her re-election to Democrat Derek Tran in 2024.
In April 2026, Steel was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Her nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 55–39 vote on June 17, 2026.
