Original biography from office of Richard Lui

 

Richard Lui is an American journalist and dayside news anchor on MSNBC, where his focus is politics.  Lui is also a rotating news anchor for NBC’s weekend Today show and contributes reports for NBC News Investigations Unit and NBC Weekend Nightly News.  He’s based at NBC’s offices at 30 Rockefeller Center.

Before joining MSNBC, Lui was a news anchor at CNN Worldwide.  During his five years there, he solo-anchored the 10am edition of Morning Express and led morning political reporting during the 2008 Presidential election as a show member of Morning Express with Robin Meade.  He also anchored and reported for CNN Domestic and CNN International.  When Lui joined CNN Headline News in 2007 he became the first Asian American male to anchor a daily, national cable news show in the U.S.  Mediaite has ranked Lui #101 in News Buzz on its Power Grid Influence Index of TV Anchors / Hosts.

Lui developed a passion for politics in the 70s, debating California’s controversial Proposition 13 on bus rides to school.  That interest turned into a job at the age of 19:  campaign manager for San Francisco College Board incumbent Alan Wong.  After the election, Lui returned to college.  His plan was to write on policy and the affairs of state, subscribing to the Washington Post when it had to be mailed to the west coast.

In the 1990s, Lui reported for news radio KALX during a unique time in California politics.  He was assigned to stories such as Dianne Feinstein’s first successful U.S. Senate campaign and the Rodney King verdict and riots.

Later in the 2000s, Lui reported from Asia during an increasingly heated political climate.  Two Muslim countries in Southeast Asia transformed:  Indonesia’s Sukarno family was defeated after rule spanning over half a century; and Malaysia’s prime minister, after almost a quarter of a century handed over power.  Lui also reported on Taiwan’s controversial election between pro- and anti- China political parties.  He was at Channel NewsAsia, an English-only news network in 20 countries and territories.

In addition to his political and journalism work, Lui spent 15 years in business with Fortune 500 and technology companies. This included work at Oliver Wyman and patenting and launching the first bank-centric payment system in a Citibank carve-out he founded with fellow University of Michigan MBA alumni.

Lui has been active in community leadership for 25 years in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. He leads pro bono strategy consulting teams and is a board member for non-profits in homeless and affordable housing. Lui speaks frequently, including events for the U.S. State Department, Harvard, and the Aspen Institute.

A first generation American, Lui has a twist in his background — Wong is his real last name, part of an immigration wrinkle because his grandfather, an illegal immigrant, filed false “Paper Son” papers. Lui graduated from UC Berkeley and earned an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Lui has worked, lived, and studied in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., where he currently resides.

 

 

This past weekend, the National Association of Asian American Professionals announced the 2012 honorees of the NAAAP 100 award.  Winners were announced during NAAAP’s 30th Anniversary / National Convention in New York City’s Hilton Hotel.
Winners included Doris Ching, Vivienne Poy, Ike Song, Hines Ward, and Richard Lui.  The following article appeared originally in ALIST Magazine’s Autumn 2012 issue.  Check back tomorrow for features on the other winners.