PEPY to Hand Executive Director Post over to Cambodian National

Siem Reap, Cambodia, June 10, 2011 – PEPY’s Executive Director Daniela Papi will hand over her position to a Cambodian national: Layheng Ting, a PhD in Education from the United States, effectively from June 1, 2011. PEPY, an international non-governmental organization working to improve the access to, and quality of, education in Cambodia, has spent more than two years searching for a qualified Cambodian who has relevant international programmatic experience to lead the organization forward.

PEPY believes that the organization's programs will be truly sustainable only when the foundation of the organization is solid and rooted in the country itself, and having a qualified Khmer director and staff with a good leadership and management is the most important piece.

"Finding high level management skills is always a challenge, but in our case, we also need to find people with the heart that is necessary to continue the PEPY culture," said Daniela. "We need someone from Cambodia who is dedicated to improving their own country’s educational offerings but who also has seen examples of highly successful educational programs around the world to be able to set the bar high," she added.

Layheng was selected from more than 100 applicants, due in large part to her commitment and desire to improve the quality of and access to education in Cambodia. And we are sure that she is the right person for the post after spending more than 3 months with her on our team. With her excellent leadership and management skills, she will be officially appointed as a PEPY's Executive Director in June.

Layheng's extensive experience includes several years working in high-level management positions in educational and non-profit institutions. In addition, she has spent the last five years in the US, during which she earned both her Masters (through the prestigious Fulbright program) and PhD (with the support of the Ralph W. Harbison Fellowship and Maryknoll Scholarship) at the University at Albany, State University of New York.

While living in the US, Layheng began working with a non-profit organization helping refugees, and was quickly promoted through the ranks until she became its Executive Director. Working in literacy and after school programs, Layheng was able to put her academic studies into practice. She is eager to apply all what she has learned to a Cambodian context, now that she has returned to her home country. "Layheng's dream is to help improve the quality of education in her country, and the place that needs it most is rural Cambodia."

At the same time, a new senior management team leader, Mr. Khath Samal, also comes to join PEPY with his 15 years of experience in education, having worked extensively with CARE International and with the Cambodian Ministry of Education Youth and Sports in Ratanakiri province. PEPY, with a strong and committed management and leadership team, is ready to expand its works in the long-run future.

"I am proud that PEPY's new leadership team has great role models for Cambodia's youth. Both Layheng and Samal have many opportunities available to them, but they have chosen to commit their time to improving education in rural Cambodia, and we're delighted that they have chosen to give their time and talent to PEPY's programs," said Daniela with satisfaction and strong expectation that one day PEPY will led entirely by Khmer staff.

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About PEPY Cambodia: PEPY Cambodia is a New York State registered Non-for-Profit Corporation founded in 2005 to aid rural communities in improving their own standards of living, with a focus on increased access to quality education in rural Cambodia.

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