Born in Saigon, her family fled as "boat people" when she was 3 years old and eventually settled in Sunnyvale, California, where they now live. Chi is a naturalized American citizen.
Chi received her MBA from the Stanford University in 2005, where she concentrated on public management. Chi graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude in 1998 with degrees in economics and psychology from Yale University, where she led Dwight Hall, Yale University's umbrella organization for over 80 community service organizations. She then received the Elm-Ivy Award for enhancing understanding and cooperation between Yale and New Haven, as well as the James Andrew Haas Prize.
Chi worked for two years at Bain & Company as a management consultant. She also helped found the Alliance for Regional Stewardship and co-authored the publication, Women of Silicon Valley, which received national news coverage. She was a product manager in revascularization cardiac surgery at Guidant Corporation in San Francisco, but now works as a marketing manager at Acclarent, Inc.
Chi's spouse is Daniel Abelson. They have a son named Liam Nguyen Abelson.
