Chris Magnus with demonstrators in Richmond, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. (Photo by Kristopher Skinner/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

About Terrance Cheung
Age53 Years
BirthAugust 3, 1970 California
GenderMale
SpouseChris Magnus 10th May 2014 - now
AddressTucson, Arizona
NationalityAmerican
JobDirector of planning, research and evaluation
AlumniSan Francisco University
Works ForArizona Supreme Court as director of planning, research and evaluation (2020-now), Arizona State University as executive MPA (since 2021)
Worked forChief of Staff (Supervisor John Gioia, Contra Costa County, California 2001-15)
Chief of Staff (Mayor Tom Butt, Richmond, California 2015-16)

President Joe Biden continues to build his cabinet and is regularly announcing his intent to nominate candidates for key positions. Among them is Chris Magnus, a current Arizona police chief and an openly gay figure, for commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The news also brings Magnus’ husband, Terrance Cheung, into the spotlight. They are dubbed a “power couple” for good reason. Like Magnus, Cheung has a presence in public administration and justice reform, and is equally accomplished. In anticipation of Chris Magnus’ potential new employment, we reveal more on who Terrance Cheung is here.

Terrance Cheung’s Career

Terrance Cheung was born on August 3, 1970, and hails from California. He is currently based in Tucson, Arizona.

Cheung received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast communication/journalism from San Francisco University. He initially worked in television broadcast news.

Cheung’s career in public administration began in 2001. He served as the chief of staff for Supervisor John Gioia of Contra Costa County, California, for almost 14 years.

He is well-known for his term as chief of staff for Mayor Tom Butt of Richmond, California, from 2015 to 2016. Cheung’s salary was reportedly $84,403 at his new appointment.

Terrance Cheung’s husband, Chris Magnus, became chief of the Tucson Police Department in Arizona in 2016. Cheung moved with him to Arizona, and began working for Pima County. In the almost four years he was there, he served as a program manager for the Safety and Justice Challenge, and later as the director of justice reform initiatives.

Since 2020, Cheung has been a task force member of the National Judicial Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform, as well as the director of planning, research, and evaluation at the Arizona Supreme Court. In 2021, he began working on an executive MPA at Arizona State University.

Terrance Cheung and Chris Magnus’ Relationship

It’s unclear when and how they met, but Chris Magnus had reportedly been in a relationship with Terrance Cheung for eight years before tying the knot. They married on May 10, 2014, in California.

A local news outlet on another assignment that day covered the wedding at the waterfront venue, Salute e Vita Ristorante. Major personalities in law, politics, and business were present.

John Gioia, the then-county supervisor, officiated the wedding of his chief of staff and the police chief. U.S. Rep. George Miller; then-Mayor Gayle McLaughlin; former Councilman Dr. Jeff Ritterman; then-Councilman Tom Butt; Councilmen Jael Myrick and Nat Bates; state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier; and then-state Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner were among guests.

Cheung and Magnus asked for donations to the local Family Justice Center, which helps victims of domestic violence, in lieu of gifts.