Alissa Lai-Chou was born in Taiwan and grew up in the capital, Taipei. She has uncles, aunts and cousins all over the world. Her family experience makes her see the world as one place and one people.

As a first-generation immigrant with a home in Cary, North Carolina, Alissa has witnessed the struggle of immigrants to gain footholds in a strange land or just to be accepted. The stories of GUINNOVATION board members inspire her to help equip children in Guinea with the knowledge and skillsets to gain their own footholds in life.

She has worked in management and financial positions in the technology and fashion industries. She partnered with her husband in manufacturing their own computer brand for retailers and wholesalers. Alissa later exported electronic, computer and mobile products to Brazil, the Caribbean and east European countries. She also started two other firms, one in New York and another in Cary, investing, managing and rehabilitating residential and commercial properties.

Alissa earned a BBA in accounting from Baruch College and an MBA from Kentucky State University. Earlier, she studied art at an American school in Austria. She has supported several charities focusing on youth development and poverty in the U.S. and in South Asia.