Though her husband - U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) - will have a government job in Washington, D.C., next year following his re-election to a fifth-term in the Senate, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao is not likely not be in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet.

Obama and Chao differ dramatically on labor policy, including the controversial Employee Free Choice Act, which Obama supports and Chao does not. Such incongruencies make it unlikely Chao would be asked to stay on under Obama after her service in the Bush administration.

A former director of the Peace Corps and former CEO of the United Way charity, Chao also served as a fellow at the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, before her time in the cabinet. Chao was one of the few Bush cabinet members to serve all eight years in the administration.

Though a spokesperson for Chao did not return requests for comment about the secretary's future plans, Chao offered a few hints while hitting the campaign trail on her husband's behalf this year.

"I'm looking forward to letting go and resuming my role as a hands-on volunteer," said Chao after an October appearance in Bowling Green.

"I hope to make a contribution to Kentucky, and then I hope to take it easy," she added.

McConnell and Chao reportedly have residences in both Washington and Louisville.