The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) was founded by Aida ARAISSI in 1997 to promote trade, investment, training and educational exchanges between the US and Arab World.

Since its’ inception and under her leadership, BUSACC is now widely recognized as a cross industry expert resource for advancing collaborative economic, and education solutions founded on the principals of mutual respect and understanding.

Stakeholders include Fortune 100 companies, academic and policy influencers, economic development agencies, and small business leaders.

For the last 20 years, ARAISSI has provided strategic planning, program management, and full life cycle advice on hundreds of multi-sector inbound and outbound business missions on behalf of public and private organizations.

Her work with municipal economic development boards include strategic planning and implementing business development missions on behalf of City of Houston, City of Stavanger, City of Los Angeles, the State of Illinois and the State of Texas.

Inbound reverse trade mission clients with several entities in the GCC countries, including Oman’s Salalah Free Zone and Bahrain’s Economic Development Board. ARAISSI’S projects have resulted in significant agreements including the historic Sister City agreements between Abu Dhabi and Houston, Basrah and Houston; Port cooperation agreements between the Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone and the Port Authority of Houston; Memorandums of Understanding between Bahrain and City of Chicago; Airport Cooperation agreements that resulted in direct air service between Emirates Air and Houston, and Qatar Air and Houston back in 2006 long before other cities joined the efforts to attract foreign carriers to their regions.

She serves on multiple civic and strategic boards including the U.S. Committee for the World Petroleum Congress, the Export Academy and the Nature Conservancy.

In 2008 she launched a non-profit education foundation called Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH) which has taken hundreds of teachers from across 25 states throughout the U.S. to the MENA region to learn about the Arab world and bring their knowledge to the classroom to inspire global awareness and understanding in the next generation.
ARAISSI is a frequent speaker at prominent Global Events, including the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Houston and Dubai, the annual Weftec water industry conference in Chicago and New Orleans, and the Africa Global Leaders Summit in London.

She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia in 2008 ; from the US Embassy in the UAE in 2007 and the US Consulate in Basrah, Iraq in 2013.

Her Excellency, Sheikha Lubna Al
Qassimi also presented ARAISSI with an award commending “her dedication and commitment to strengthening commercial relations between the UAE and United States.” She was voted by Amazons Magazine as Leading Women to Watch in 2016, and is the first Arab American woman to be recognized at the Women’s Chamber of Commerce as a Trail Blazer at their annual conference to be held in April 2016. ARAISSI received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, minor in Political Science from the University of Houston.

ARAISSI is a frequent speaker at prominent Global Events, including the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Houston and Dubai, the annual Weftec water industry conference in Chicago and New Orleans, and the Africa Global Leaders Summit in London.

She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia in 2008; from the US Embassy in the UAE in 2007 and the US Consulate in Basrah, Iraq in 2013. Her Excellency, Sheikha Lubna Al

Qassimi also presented ARAISSI with an award commending “her dedication and commitment to strengthening commercial relations between the UAE and United States.” She was voted by Amazons Magazine as Leading Women to Watch in 2016, and is the first Arab American woman to be recognized at the Women’s Chamber of Commerce as a Trail Blazer at their annual conference to be held in April 2016. ARAISSI received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, minor in Political Science from the University of Houston.