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.

Harpswell is looking for a Finance and Administrative Officer to join our Cambodia team.

Harpswell is hiring a Finance and Admin Officer! We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive professional to manage financial record-keeping, reporting, and analysis to ensure transparency and informed decision-making. In addition to financial responsibilities, this role will oversee office administration and support the smooth operation of Harpswell’s dormitory and facilities. The Finance and Administrative Officer will report to the Country Director and collaborate closely with Harpswell’s Finance Manager to uphold the organization's financial health and operational efficiency.

Note: This position is only for Cambodian nationals. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

For a full job description and information on the application process, click here.

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, a native of Tehran, is a lecturer at Center for Research on Women and Gender, KANITA, Universiti Sains Malaysia. She worked as a lecturer at University of Applied Science and Technology in 2006. She has also cooperated with different centers and institutes as an English Language & IELTS Instructor.

    Leila has published in several impact factor journals and cooperates with some journals as a reviewer and editor. Her research interests include language and gender, power and solidarity, cultural studies and violence against women.

    Education:
    - Bachelor’s in English Translation, Tehran Azad University
    - Master’s in Sociolinguistics, University of Malaya
    - PhD in Sociolinguistics, University of Malaya

Dr. Leila Mohajer

“Friendship leads to empowerment.”

  • Bio coming soon.

Hasniza Mohamad Hassan

  • Dr. Endut’s research interests include women and the law, women in Islam, violence against women, gender and masculinity, gender and education, and women and entrepreneurship. She is a life member of the Women’s Center for Change, in Penang and a Board Member of the International Women’s Rights Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP). She is currently a Committee Member of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies and Vice President of the Southeast Asian Association of Gender Studies, Malaysia Branch.

    Education:
    -Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Sheffield
    -LLM (Law and Development) from the University of London
    -PhD in law and gender from the University of London.

Noraida Endut