Who We Are
Meet The Team
John Barrett
Founder and Director
John is a founding member of The Cambodia Academy. A dedicated Rotarian since 1995, he has faithfully served the Rotary Club of San Mateo as Club President, Sergeant-at-Arms, and International Service Chair for the 42 clubs of Rotary District 5150.
In 2004, John and fellow Rotarian Hans Eide launched the school with a simple but powerful belief: that education can transform lives. More than 22 years later, The Cambodia Academy stands as a beacon of hope for children in rural Cambodia, providing a brighter future for hundreds of students.
John also serves as co-trustee of The Cambodia Academy at Mongkol Borei Trust.
Richard A. Howell
Board Chair and Director
Rich has served on the Board of The Cambodia Academy since 2010 and focuses primarily on endowment development and long-term financial stewardship, ensuring sustainability as we grow and evolve.
A full-time volunteer, Rich leads a wide range of strategic and operational areas, including marketing, IT, accounting, legal affairs, and capital projects. He works in partnership with the principal and school staff to improve systems, strengthen operational processes, and guide the school's university scholarship endowment.
Rich is based in Bangkok, Thailand, and serves as co-trustee of The Cambodia Academy at Mongkol Borei Trust.
Jill Noska
Director
With more than 20 years of experience in payment processing and fintech, Jill brings a strong background in service, operations, and relationship management to The Cambodia Academy. She currently serves as Vice President of Provider Services at Zelis in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Since joining the Board in 2020, Jill has helped strengthen the Academy’s donor engagement efforts and fundraising infrastructure. She leads supporter engagement, manages the organization’s donation and CRM platform, and works to maintain and support donor relationships She has also co-led the Academy’s major scholarship fundraising events, helping generate vital support for the students and families the school serves.
Katherine Walsh
Advisor
Now retired, Katherine previously served as a vice president in the Houston Methodist hospital system. Since 2021, she has held multiple roles as a board member and advisor, helping to strengthen Cambodia Academy through fundraising, awareness building, and strategic networking.
During her tenure, Katherine has recruited new advisory members, expanded the school’s donor network, delivered strong fundraising results, and co-led key scholarship fundraising events. Based in Houston, Texas, she brings energy, leadership, and deep commitment to advancing the school’s mission.
Brian Howell
Advisor
Brian is an executive in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries with more than 30 years of experience and has served on the Board of The Cambodia Academy since 2019. He brings both professional leadership and a strong personal commitment to the Academy’s mission of expanding educational access for children in rural Cambodia.
Brian has helped grow the Academy’s fundraising network in North Texas, engaging Rotary clubs and other supporters to help fund important campus capital projects. He has also co-led the Academy’s major scholarship fundraising events, helping generate vital support for students and their futures. Brian is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area.
Hank Henley
Advisor
Hank is a retired educator with 27 years of experience teaching music and theatre at the secondary and university levels. His programs were ranked among the top in Ohio, and several of his students have gone on to perform on Broadway. He has also managed a Baroque orchestra in Dallas and served as interim Executive Director of the Turtle Creek Chorale.
A loyal supporter of The Cambodia Academy since 2014, Hank brings creativity, arts leadership, and a deep commitment to the school’s mission. He focuses on corporate and individual grant fundraising, donor relations, and expanding arts opportunities for our students. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Panha Mey
Advisor
Panha Mey joined the advisory board in 2022 and has played an important role in strengthening Cambodia Academy’s connection to the Cambodian community in Texas. Since 2015, he has served as pastor of the Cambodian Baptist Church of Houston and also works as a chaplain with Memorial Hermann Health System.
Earlier in his professional life, he spent three years in East Africa as a missionary, where he worked as assistant treasurer, local church youth director, and refugee relief worker.
Panha serves as a valued liaison to the Cambodian community in Texas, whose generosity has helped create greater opportunity and hope for Cambodian children. He has also been a highly effective fundraiser and co-led two major scholarship gala events in 2022 and 2024.
Dave Arens
Advisor
David Arens spent 42 years in telecommunications, rising to the role of Director of Engineering. Since retiring, he has devoted much of his time to service and charitable work. Since 2020, Cambodia Academy has been his primary philanthropic focus, reflecting his strong belief in the power of education to change lives.
He is also active in Rotary, supporting projects that strengthen communities and advance service, education, and outreach.
When not traveling the world, Dave is based in the greater Denver, Colorado area.
Richard Vander Meeden
Advisor
Richard leads and manages information technology for the Board and has served as a member since 2019. He brings broad experience across multiple industries including enterprise e-business and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, mining and minerals, and biopharma. He currently manages Microsoft Cloud infrastructure for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.
With a strong background in systems management, cloud infrastructure, and technology operations, Richard helps support the Board’s web and data systems and long-term tech planning.
Richard has also launched his own venture providing specialized financial services to underserved industries.
Dara Pei
Principal
Dara Pei started his career with the school in 2010 as an IT teacher, was appointed Interim Principal of The Cambodia Academy on May 1, 2021, and then promoted to Principal in November 2021. He is responsible for the academic results of the school and supplies regular compliance reports to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Support (MoEYS.)
He is responsible for the management of faculty and staff, and for the well-being and safety of the student body. He reports to the board chair.
Chenla Saiman
Vice Principal
Chenla Saiman was appointed Interim Vice Principal of The Cambodia Academy in May 2021 and was promoted to Vice Principal in November 2021. Chenla was in the school’s original first grade class and is a graduate of The Cambodia Academy. She went on to high school and became the first in her family to graduate from university.
She started as a teacher in 2012. In addition to her role as vice principal, she oversees the food program and teaches grade 2 in the afternoon.
Sothon Chhoeut
Grade 9 Teacher, Social Media Leader
Sothon Chhoeut began his teaching career at The Cambodia Academy in 2018. A fluent English speaker with more than five years of teaching experience and a master’s degree in Educational Innovation, he is committed to applying modern teaching methods that strengthen the classroom learning environment.
As a member of the school’s leadership team, Sothon teaches Grade 9 and leads the Academy’s social media presence, growing our online community from 1,000 to more than 30,000 followers in just a few months.