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 responsible for overseeing CPCS Peace Process work, primarily on Myanmar and Korea as well as regional initiatives, over sees the operations teams, and ensuring overall alignment and coordination across all CPCS initiatives.

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

Emma Leslie, an Australian – Cambodian, is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, supporting peace processes and conflict transformation in Asia. She has developed MA and Ph.D. programs in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS), launched the Cambodia Peace Museum and for over a decade has served the Philippine Government – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace talks as a member of the International Contact Group (ICG). Emma has been actively engaged in Myanmar for 30 years, made several peace missions to North Korea, and accompanies many non-state actors in their negotiations strategies. Emma teaches mediation annually at the Swedish government’s Folke Bernadotte Academy to United Nations personnel. Emma is an active steering committee member of both the Southeast Asia Women Mediators and serves on the board of the Peacebuilding Initiative at the University of Melbourne. She holds a BA in Southeast Asia history and politics, a Graduate Diploma in Education, an MA in International Development, an honorary Ph.D. in Education, and the title Order of Australia. Emma recently founded Dialogue Australia – an initiative to promote dialogue in her native Australia and the region. Of all her accomplishments Emma is most proud to be twice a grandmother!

Zabra Yu Siwa

Senior Analyst & Mediation Support

Zabra Yu Siwa

Zabra has over ten years of combined professional experience in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and public diplomacy in the Philippines and Myanmar. His previous work focused on supporting the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) from 2007 to 2016. He is currently working at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS) as Senior Analyst & Mediation Support focusing on conflict transformation and mediation support in Rakhine state, Myanmar. Zabra’s work has allowed him to gain a deeper knowledge of the Philippines and Myanmar’s peace processes, political environment and socio-economic and cultural contexts.

Betchak Padilla

Senior Peace Trainer & 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.

Navaz Kotwal

Partnerships Coordinator

Navaz Kotwal

Navaz joined the CPCS in May 2023 and currently serves as Partnerships Coordinator. Her role at CPCS as involves managing the relationship with diverse funding partners and donors. Overall, she remains responsible for nurturing external partnerships and working closely with leadership on aligning strategies and proving technical assistance to partners.

Navaz is a seasoned professional in the fields of public policy analysis and international development, boasting more than twenty years of expertise. Her extensive career spans governance, humanitarian affairs, policy formulation, capacity building, training, and the safeguarding of marginalized populations, with a specific focus on women and children.

In her most recent role, Ms. Kotwal served as the Humanitarian Affairs & Policy Advisor for India, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives at the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in India. Here she played a pivotal role in establishing channels for humanitarian discussions with government bodies and civil society actors across South Asia. Before joining ICRC, Navaz led the UNDP-Government of India Access to Justice Project, which aimed to enhance the capabilities of justice sector service providers to deliver effective services, particularly for vulnerable groups. Her earlier tenure at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) saw her serve as the Coordinator of the Police and Judicial Reforms Program in South Asia and East Africa. Navaz has also as a member of various committees for the Government of India, including the drafting of the Model Police Act and a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system by the Law Commission of India.

Originally from India, Navaz holds a Masters in Law from the Nottingham University, United Kingdom.

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.

Dr. Gabrielle Grant

ACTS Director

Dr. Gabrielle Grant

Gabrielle Grant is originally from North Carolina in the US and holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, USA and a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution from University of North Carolina- Greensboro, USA. She also holds a graduate certificate in Qualitative Research from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Grant joined CPCS in 2016 as a faculty member in the ACTS programme and became ACTS director in 2021. Prior to this she was an executive director of restorative justice center, a research consultant throughout Southeast Asia, a social worker, and has worked in administration at different universities in the United States. She has served as a facilitator, practitioner, and researcher from the community to the international level, and has published on topics such as power, mediation, appreciative inquiry, structural violence, and genocide prevention. Gabrielle is very passionate about connecting the practitioner to the academic and really enjoys teaching research from an applicated conflict perspective.

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

Northeast Asia Specialist

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.

Ouk Rany

Finance Officer

Ouk Rany

Rany has more than 10 years’ experience in accounting and finance. As a Finance Officer with CPCS, Rany support on financial management of CPCS including budget planning and management, financial reporting and donor reporting. She assists in maintaining all accounting record and filing, overall management of cash on hand, cash in bank and cash book. Rany holds Master degree in Accounting and Finance.