Elise was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with a B.B.A in Finance and International Business from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1985. After graduation, Elise worked as an accountant for a bank and as a tax accountant for large public accounting firms. She obtained her C.P.A. in 1990. Elise received her J.D. in 1993 from Hastings College of the Law and was a member of the Constitutional Law Quarterly. She served as a judicial extern for Judge Harold Fong of the United States District Court. Elise practiced Estate Planning in Hawaii and California for several years.

Elise is married to a software engineer and lives in Irvine. They have two young children, Cody and Lea, who are the joy of their lives. Elise has a keen sense of adventure, having traveled extensively in Europe and Southeast Asia. She lived in the People's Republic of China for a year, and taught English and studied Mandarin. She enjoys regular exercise (hula dancing and surfing), trying new cooking recipes and spending time with the family.