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Elisa Chan was elected as City Councilmember for District 9 on May 9, 2009. She is the first Asian-American woman in the history of San Antonio to be elected to the City Council. Elisa has been a San Antonio resident for over 20 years. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Elisa spent most her childhood in Taiwan and Brazil before going to Beijing, China with her parents where she finished high school and college. She came to San Antonio a year later as a graduate student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Elisa holds Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering and Master of Science in Computer Science.

Elisa has been actively involved in a number of professional, civic, public, and cultural organizations. Her proven record of serving our community includes promoting bilateral trade and foreign investment in San Antonio as well as to improve transportation. She was appointed by Former Mayor Phil Hardberger as Committee Chair of the China Steering Committee and was member of the City of San Antonio Planning Commission. Among many organizations Elisa also serves on the Board of Governors of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center and is a former committee member of the Stone Oak Property Owners Association Advisory Committee.

She has worked on major initiatives that affect all San Antonians, including the 2004 Advanced Transportation District; the 2005 Alamo Community College District $450 million bond; the 2007-2009 City of San Antonio Municipal Bond Program, Drainage Committee; and the 2008 Bexar County Visitor Tax, Cultural Facility Committee.

Elisa is co-owner and serves as the president of Unintech Consulting Engineers, Inc., the company she founded with her husband in 1992. Starting with just one employee, she helped build a company that is now consistently recognized as among the “Top 25 Largest Engineering” and “Women-Owned” firms in San Antonio. In 2009, Elisa was featured in Forbes magazine "San Antonio Women in Business." In 2008, the North Chamber of Commerce awarded Elisa the Small Business Leaders Award in Career Achievement. She was also recognized by the San Antonio Business Journal in 2003 as one of the “40 Under Forty Rising Stars” in San Antonio.

Elisa, her husband Clifford Hew, and their daughter, Nikola live in the Stone Oak area.