About the Department

Anna S. Hui - Director

Anna Hui was appointed Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in March of 2017 and the Senate confirmed the appointment in January 2018, making her the first Asian American to serve in the governor’s cabinet in Missouri history. For over two decades, Anna has worked in numerous senior positions in both state and federal government.

Anna started her public service career working for Illinois Governor Jim Edgar as the Special Assistant to the Governor for Asian-American affairs and then for Governor George Ryan, as a senior-member of the Washington, D.C. policy management team. She then served as the Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor during President George W. Bush’s Administration.

After leaving federal service in 2009 and until she returned to Illinois in 2015, she was Chief of Staff to former U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.  From 2015 to 2017, Anna served as Assistant Director and later as Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Labor, where she implemented major reforms in process and program efficiency and effectiveness.

Anna received a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, a M.S.M. and a M.B.A. from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).  In April 2018, she was named the recipient of UIUC’s Outstanding Asian American Alumni Award from the Asian American Cultural Center for her dedication to public service. In November 2021, the St. Louis Asian American Chamber of Commerce named Anna the 2021 Connector of the Year for her outstanding accomplishments as a trailblazer to help connect the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) business/professional community, St. Louis and Asia.

Anna is very involved at the state and national levels and holds a numerous leadership positions related to her work at the department. Currently, Anna serves as the Secretary/Treasurer and previously as President of the National Association of Government Labor Officials (NAGLO); Board Secretary of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) and sits on the NASWA Information Technology Support Center (ITSC) Steering Committee. In addition, she is also Board President-Elect of the International Association of Industrial Accidents Boards and Commissions (IAIABC); Vice Chairperson of the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Information Advisory Council (WIAC); Board member on the Family and Community Trust (FACT); Advisory Board member for the Women in Leadership Program (WLP) at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Advisory Board member for the Missouri Science and Technology (MOST) Policy Fellows; Steering Committee Member of the Multi-State Data Collaboratives (MSDC); Interim Executive Council Member of the Midwest Collaborative(MWC); Member of the Science and Technology Advisory Board for the Coleridge Initiative; Member of the federal Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB); and a graduate of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce 2018 Leadership Missouri Program. Previously Anna has also served as NASWA Board President.

Matthew Hankins - Deputy Director

Deputy Department Director Matthew S. Hankins has extensive leadership and management experience, having accepted multiple and various roles in the department since 2000. Most recently serving as Acting Division of Employment Security (DES) Deputy Director, Hankins has also led DES units as Chief and Program Manager. Prior to his start with the State of Missouri, he worked for the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs through a work-study partnership with the Division of Workforce Development, after a highly-regarded five years of service with the United States Marine Corps.