Meet the Staff

Harpswell has a strong leadership team in Cambodia, Australia, the United States and around Southeast Asia. Harpswell alumnae are now managing the Cambodian dormitories and program, a good indicator that we are on the road to achieving our mission.

Global Team

Jacyl Shaw

Jacyl comes to Harpswell with over 20 years of experience across sectors including higher education, industry, local community, startup ecosystem and philanthropy. She has led and been a part of teams spanning North and South America, Europe, EMEA and Asia, and brings a strong network in the ASEAN region to the role. Most recently, Jacyl served as Head of Strategy & Business Development for the Menzies Foundation, an apolitical non-profit that aspires to raise the profile and importance of “outstanding” leadership by encouraging people to reflect on leadership, build their leadership capability and act for the greater good.
Jacyl studied law at the University of Melbourne (Australia), going on to receive a Masters of Laws from Monash University. Jacyl also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Business (Enterprise) from the University of Melbourne (Australia). She served many years in leadership roles at the University of Melbourne (Australia) and at GHD, a private global engineering firm, where she was Global Director of Innovation. In each role she has taken up, Jacyl has prioritized making a positive and meaningful impact, reflecting a deep desire to amplify and empower emerging leaders.
Education:
-Bachelor of Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia
-Bachelor of Laws, University of Melbourne, Australia
-Master of Laws, Monash
-Master of Business, University of Melbourne, Australia.

“Together, we can ignite inspiration and foster leadership that will shape and uplift communities throughout the region, both now and for generations to come.”

Basye is a former Harpswell Leadership Resident with more than eight years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors, working primarily in women's education, violence prevention and peace-building in the Southeast Asia region. Most recently, she served as an English Language Development teacher in south Nashville through Teach for America.
Education:
- Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology, Wheaton College
-Master’s in Instructional Practice, Lipscomb University
- Master’s in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, London School of Economics

Basye Peek

“Harpswell women continue to inspire me with their tenacious commitment to education, empowerment and uplifting one another.”

Teresa Nowalk

A recent Harpswell Leadership Resident (2022-2023), Teresa has experience in education, both as a teacher and in curriculum development, and the nonprofit sector. She currently resides in Battambang, Cambodia where she works for the FutureSense Foundation as a Programme Implementor.
Education:
- Bachelor’s in Anthropology and History, University of Virginia

“Harpswell is a place where staff and students alike turn into friends who become sisters, and sisters who become family.”

Laurie Phillips

Laurie has many years of finance and operations experience with over 20 years in educational nonprofits. Prior jobs include Executive Director of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (retreat center offering on site and online courses), Director of Finance and Operations at Sea Education Association (nonprofit offering semesters at sea on tall ships for college students), Controller at The Pennington School (an independent day/boarding school in New Jersey). She currently is also the Finance Manager for Caring for Cambodia.
Education:
B.A in Accounting from the University of Alabama
M.A in Counseling from Rider University.

“During my many travels in Southeast Asia, I have been particularly touched and inspired by the stories of the young women I met along the way. I am very happy to join Harpswell and play a small part to help young women achieve their dreams and potential.”

Rya Ducusin

An alumna of the Harpswell ASEAN Women’s Leadership Summit, Rya is an experienced communications professional in the development and humanitarian sector working on global and local initiatives on gender, climate justice, local governance, human rights, localisation, disaster risk reduction, anticipatory action, and humanitarian crises. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive, gender transformative, and community-driven communication initiatives.
Education:
- Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, University of the Philippines
-Master of Arts in Philippine Studies, University of the Philippines

“Harpswell’s commitment to empowering young women in my own community, the Southeast Asian region, deeply inspires me. It is often rare to find an enabling space for women where passion meets action.”

Emily Gaylor

Emily Gaylor serves as the Director of Development for Harpswell, bringing extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising, institutional giving, and strategic donor engagement. With a strong background in securing major gifts, building philanthropic partnerships, and leading successful development initiatives, she is dedicated to advancing Harpswell’s mission. In her role, Emily leads fundraising efforts to expand the organization’s impact, ensuring continued opportunities for women’s leadership and education.

Cambodian Women’s Leadership Team

Moul Samneang has more than 20 years of experience working on design, management, and implementation of programs related to women’s advancement. Samneang served as Senior Program Officer at The Asia Foundation’s Cambodia office, where she led the program on violence against women and implemented programs to prevent trafficking and exploitation of children.
Samneang provided technical support to a women’s NGO to facilitate female commune councilors in formulating strategies to address issues of key concerns to communities. She also managed education initiatives that provided scholarships to young girls from economically disadvantaged families and served as Field Adviser for Give2Asia, where she managed donor-advised grants to organizations implementing charitable activities in Cambodia.
Education:
Master’s in Development Management, Asian Institute of Management (Philippines)

Moul Samneang

“The kind of education we provide is so deep and so meaningful for the girls to become informed citizens.”

Malin has more than ten years of experience in grants, finance and administrative management with local and international non-profit organizations. Her strong interest in women and girls’ education brought her to Harpswell.
Prior to joining Harpswell, Malin worked with the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia to redesign, set up and lead the implementation of financial management systems. Previously, Malin was with The Asia Foundation in Cambodia where she provided technical assistance on financial and administrative management for programs in women’s empowerment, human rights, education and the environment.
Education:
- Bachelor’s in Accounting, National University of Management
- Bachelor’s in English Literature, Institute of Foreign Languages

Lok Malin

“The girls come here from all different backgrounds, but they all become like one while they’re here.”

Raksmey, a graduate of the Harpswell Class of 2010, spent a year as a Harpswell U.S. Scholar at Bard College in upstate New York. Raksmey has several years of teaching experience and, before joining Harpswell, worked as the Early Childhood Education Facilitator at the Cambodian Children’s Fund in Phnom Penh.
Education:
- Bachelor’s in Biology and English Language, Royal University of Phnom Penh
- Bachelor’s in Education, Build Bright University
- Master’s in Educational Studies, University of Hong Kong

Suon Raksmey

“We provide the opportunities and environment for each of our students to define their leadership.”

Sopheap began her career in the NGO and private sectors as a secretary at Women for Prosperity. She was later promoted to Coordinator of the Women’s Empowerment Program.
Following her time at Women for Prosperity, Sopheap joined the Samrach Rattanack Real Estate and Law office, working in administration and human resources.
Education:
Bachelor’s in Management, Norton University

Nim Sopheap

“Harpswell is a place with a diversity of backgrounds, and students immediately share their love and sadness after they come here. The time they spent here and all kinds of sharing give them both stronger life skills and intelligence.”

“I'm thrilled to come back to the Harpswell community after seven years away to help the younger sisters' generation grow and define their leadership potential.”

Sam Phalleap is a graduate of the Harpswell Cambodian Women’s Leadership Program Class of 2016. Since graduating from Harpswell, Phalleap has been active in the education sector where she has excelled in roles from teaching to school leadership. Before joining the Harpswell staff team, Phalleap served as Vice Principal of an international school in Phnom Penh.
Education:
Bachelor’s in Educational Management and Teaching, Norton University
Master’s in Education Administration and Leadership

Sam Phalleap

ASEAN Summit Team

Dr. Leila Mohajer is a sociolinguist specializing in language and gender. She served as a senior lecturer for eight years at the Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA), Universiti Sains Malaysia, where she was actively involved in interdisciplinary teaching and research. Her academic interests include power and solidarity in men’s and women’s talk, conversation analysis, gender and identity, and violence against women. Her work reflects a commitment to exploring how language shapes and reflects gendered experiences in everyday and institutional contexts.

Dr. Leila Mohajer

“Friendship leads to empowerment.”

Hasniza Mohamad Hassan is currently serving as a Senior Administrative Assistant Officer at Pusat Sejahtera, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She previously served at the Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA) for 17 years before continuing her service at the School of Social Sciences, USM. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Sociology, as well as a Diploma in Public Administration, and has been accepted to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration at USM, with studies beginning in October 2025. Hasniza has received several recognitions for her service, including the Excellent Service Award from USM. She is actively involved in social advocacy through her engagement with PEMADAM, a non-governmental organization focused on the welfare and rehabilitation of former drug addicts throughout Malaysia. Internationally, she represented Malaysia in the Ewha Global Empowerment Program (EGEP), organized by the Asian Center for Women’s Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. She has also contributed to several editions of KANITA Matters, and was involved in the production of the coffee table book USM and Micro-Credit: Leading the Journey, Pursuing the Dream 1986–2011

Hasniza Mohamad Hassan

Noraida Endut is Professor and past Director of the Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Besides teaching and supervising postgraduate students, she is also lead researcher, co-researcher and consultant of several research and advocacy projects on women and gender in Malaysia, regionally and internationally. She is a Permanent Member of Malaysia’s National Council of Women and Family, Board Member of the State of Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) and the Deputy Head, Cluster of International Affairs of the National Council of Professors. She is also Vice President of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies (AAWS) and was a Board Member of the International Women’s Rights Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP) [2013-2023]. She has conducted research and training for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, International Human Rights Inc., the British Council, the British Academy and various United Nations agencies. She has also provided training and expertise in capacity building programmes for women’s empowerment for the government, industry, civil society, community and international organisations.