Centre For Peace & Conflict Studies

Our TEAM

OUR STAFF

Nikki Singer

Executive Director

Nikki Singer, MSW

Nikki joined the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in 2014 and has served in leadership roles throughout the organization. She led the Cambodia Peace Gallery initiative from 2016 – 2019, including the set up and opening of the Gallery in Battambang in 2018, piloting the Gallery’s peace education program for university students, and hosting international students and peace practitioners for learning exchanges in Cambodia. With a strong focus on Strategic Partnerships, Nikki has worked closely on fundraising and grants management, guiding strategic planning, and developing new programs. As Executive Director, Nikki is oversees all of CPCS initiatives, alignment across the organisation, management of resources, and cultivation of strategic partnerships and networks to advance CPCS core mission of leadership and facilitation for lasting peace in Asia.

Originally from the United States, Nikki holds a Master of Social Work from Boston College, specializing in Social Innovation, Leadership and Global Social Work. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Western Connecticut State University. Prior to CPCS Nikki worked in the nonprofit sector on housing instability and emergency aid.

Dr. Emma Leslie

Senior Advisor

Dr. Emma Leslie

Dr. Emma Leslie is a peacebuilding expert, educator, and advocate with over 30 years of experience working across Asia and beyond. She is the founder of the Asia regional organization, the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, where she has developed programs and research focused on promoting dialogue and peace in complex conflict zones. She also co-founded the Cambodia Peace Gallery, which has helped foster positive narratives for young Cambodians, as well as Action Asia, a regional network of Asian peace practitioners.

Emma is passionate about increasing women’s leadership in peace processes. She is an original member of the South East Asia Women Peace Mediators (SEAWPM), an eight-woman mediation team founded by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. She previously served on the steering committee of Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth.

Emma has a longstanding association with Conciliation Resources, focusing on peace initiatives in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Bougainville. She represented the organization for over a decade as a member of the International Contact Group (ICG), supporting the peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). She has advised governments, non-state actors, and revolutionary groups accompanying peace efforts in Myanmar, Timor Leste, Nepal, North Korea, and other regions.

She teaches annually at the Folke Bernadotte Academy and the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping and Political Affairs (UNDPPA). Emma also serves on the advisory boards of the Initiative for Peace Building at the University of Melbourne, the Harmony Institute, Women Across the DMZ, Inclusive Peace, and PeaceWatch Malaysia.

Emma holds a BA in Southeast Asian history and politics, a Graduate Diploma in Education, an MA in International Development, and an honorary Ph.D. in Education. She has received several awards for her work, including the Order of Australia.

When she isn’t engaged in peace work, Emma enjoys spending time with her grandchildren in Cambodia. Her lifelong commitment is driven by a hope for a more peaceful and just world.

Betchak Padilla

Senior Peace Leadership & ACTS Coordinator

Betchak Padilla

Betchak hails from Mindanao and joined CPCS in 2012, holding various leadership roles in the organization. She has honed her skills and experience in process facilitation and peace leadership development. Betchak is dedicated to connecting interdisciplinary work of peacebuilding and conflict transformation to deepen strategic peace work and practices. As a Senior Peace Trainer and member of the ACTS Faculty, she draws on her expertise in training and facilitating peace studies and conflict transformation sessions, teaching and developing curriculum, and supervising MA students. Betchak helps cultivate and nurture regional partner organizations by responding to tailored peace and conflict transformation training and facilitating shared learning spaces and exchanges.

For more than 15 years, she has served as a community development specialist in poverty-stricken and armed conflict-affected communities in Mindanao. Betchak holds an MA in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) and a BA in Sociology. She is currently based in Cambodia and is a mother of two boys.

Rachel Beleo Cabulong

Administration and Human Resource Coordinator

Rachel Beleo Cabulong

Rachel hails from the Cordillera region of the Philippines. She joined CPCS in 2019 and prior to this she worked in a corporate environment managing quality assurance teams monitoring customer experience and customer delight. Her work in CPCS is to ensure smooth and seamless logistics support to colleagues, partners, stakeholders and direct activity participants.

Rachel finished her Bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Her involvement in development work commenced from her years as a student leader at the University of the Philippines Los Banos to her years of engagement with denominational and ecumenical youth movement, peasant groups and indigenous communities, being an Igorot herself. She finds fulfillment in logistics analysis and problem solving and in cultivation of sustainable and engaged living. She enjoys long walks, hikes, swimming, needlework and meal experiments.

Py Sokunthea

Finance Manager

Py Sokunthea

Sokunthea is Cambodian and have joined CPCS since 2012. She is the Finance Manager at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS). She previously worked as Accountant at Depot Ly Hang Seng and at the Quality Learning International School; was an English Teacher at the Centre for Foreign Languages, Banteay Meanchey Province, and Assistant Teacher of a Foreign languages at the Quality School of Language and IT Training, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

 She completed a short course in leadership, entrepreneurship, quality of higher education, quick book accounting and she has completed Intensive English for Academic Purposes (IEAP) at Pannasastra University (PUC) in Siem Reap. She attended Financial Management online course with Institute of Finance and Accounting-IFA and received her Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance from Build Bright University in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Phal Keomorokot

ACTS Course Manager

Phal Keomorokot

Morokot is from Cambodia, the Course Manager for the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Master’s Programme. She’s working on students registration, in person and online module, defenses and graduation. She’s joined CPCS in 2017 as Administration Assistant and Cashier. She previously worked as Internal Auditor at Vision Fund Cambodia for 3 years. She has more than 9 years of experience as a Auditor, Accountant, Cashier and Administration. She graduated from the Vanda Institute of Accounting in Cambodia with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and she also completed Intensive English for Academic Purposes at Pannasastra University in Cambodia (PUC).

Alison Lee

Peace Process Facilitator

Alison Lee

Alison Lee is the Northeast Asia Specialist at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. She ideates, designs, and implements platforms that bring together stakeholders regarding the Korean peace process. Originally from Hong Kong, she has many years of experience working with non-governmental organisations and ecumenical groups in youth development, stakeholder management, and partnership development.

In 2019 when she started working with CPCS, Alison moved to Cambodia, a country with strong diplomatic relations with both the DPRK (North Korea) and ROK (South Korea). She finds joy in cultivating connections with local peace leaders and supporting them in their pursuit to enact positive changes with creative means. She is a fluent speaker of English, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese, with a growing knowledge of the Korean and Cambodian languages. She graduated from Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia with an MA in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies and holds a BSocSci from the University of Hong Kong.

Venus Mae Gatdula

Mediation Support

Venus Mae Gatdula

Venus joins CPCS with her enthusiasm for continuous learning and social impact. She serves as Mediation Support for the Southeast Asia Women Peace Mediators (SEAWPM), focused on coordinating and supporting the SEAWPM’s interventions and mediation efforts.

  Venus has a degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Previously, she served as the Human Resources Officer for Smarter Good Inc., a social enterprise focused on supporting global nonprofits and social sector leaders to create more impact globally. An active youth leader in the church, she has held various leadership positions for the past 15 years. On weekends, she enjoys a quiet day at the beach or cooking her comfort foods.

Heng Hally

Human Resource Manager

Phal Keomorokot

Hally is originally from Cambodia. She has been working in the field of Human Resources, both with local and international organizations, for nearly 10 years. With CPCS, she focuses on ensuring clear and up to date policies and procedures; Cambodia legal compliance; maintain and enhance the organization’s human resources by ensuring staff’s security both physically and emotionally; ensure happy and productive workplace by creating the community feeling in CPCS that staff knows their rights, responsibilities and ways to express their concerns; and HR administration.

Previously, Hally was involved in human resource development including HR strategy plan, worker relations, labour market communication, succession planning and labour payment system.

Yong Rothny

Senior Finance Officer

Young Rothny

Rothny works with the CPCS Finance and Administration team as Senior Finance Officer, supporting the peace process team by overseeing general accounting operations and monitoring and verifying financial transactions.

Rothny previously worked with Caritas in Siem Reap. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Build Bright University and finished her Master’s degree in Accounting and Financing at the University of Southeast Asia.