Joseph Teyu Chou, of Taipei, Taiwan, earned a master’s degree in 1994 and doctorate in 1996, both in economics from Virginia Tech. Chou is the chairman of Taipei Financial Center Corp., commonly known as Taipei 101. With a height of 1,667 feet encompassing more than 100 floors, Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010, and set the global benchmark in intelligent performance management, earning the title of the world’s tallest green and smart building.

Prior to his role as chairman, Chou served as the chief executive officer of Taipei 101 and led the company to a record year in 2015, achieving its best ever operational performance including highest ever merchandize sales, 2.8 million observation deck visitors, and a Climate Change Leadership award. He has been a champion for sustainable business growth as demonstrated by Taipei 101’s LEED Platinum Recertification for Operations and Maintenance in June 2016, an impressive feat for a tower of its size and complexity.

Since 1996, Chou has been on the academic faculty of the public finance department in Taiwan’s National Chengchi University and served as department chair. He also has served as a director of Taiwan Financial Holding Corp., the largest state-owned bank in Taiwan. While he was an executive director for Chunghwa Association of Public Finance, he successfully built a policy oriented fiscal research network drawing support and interests from Taiwan, Korea, China, Japan, Australia and Canada.

Chou is married to a theologian cum family and marriage counselor, Clare Jiayann Yeh, who was an active member in the Virginia Tech’s Cranwell International Center from 1993 to 1996. Together, they have been conducting premarital workshops for more than a decade in Taiwan, China, the Philippines, and Malaysia.