- Hometown: Nantou, Taiwan
- Role: Chief financial officer at the Alabama Legislative Services Agency
- Years of legislative service: Seven
“As a bilingual person, I appreciate the diversities of human experiences and cultures and can break down barriers while building trust.”
Chou
Why did you choose to work at the Legislature?
I felt working for the Legislature offered unique challenges versus working for executive branch agencies. The mission of the Legislature impacts the entire state and is of critical importance to the people of our state.
What skill or talent are you most proud of?
As a certified public accountant, I am proud of my accounting knowledge coupled with my experience and knowledge of state government financial law, policies and processes. As a bilingual person, I appreciate the diversities of human experiences and cultures and can break down barriers while building trust.
What’s the best advice you were ever given?
There is a Chinese quote that my father used to say: “Learning is like rowing upstream; if you don’t keep rowing (learning), you will drop back while everyone else is advancing.” My father told me to work hard, keep learning and stay humble.
Who or what inspires you?
My supervisor, who is the director of the Alabama Legislative Services Agency. He is very understanding and genuinely cares about the employees who work for him. He is invested in his staff’s professional developments. He works very hard. He is a great leader who inspires greatness in others.
What’s one thing you love about your state?
The friendly and caring nature of the people. Being from another country originally, my encounters with the people of Alabama have been positive. People are kind and they’ve made me feel good about my decision to call Alabama home.
What are you currently reading/listening to/watching?
My focus is primarily on earning continuing professional education credits to further my accounting knowledge and maintain my CPA standing. Furthermore, I just finished Season 3 of “Ted Lasso.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Use the email icon above to suggest a staffer for the “Staff Snapshots” series.