Board Of Directors

Peter Chhun

President & CEO  

(Burbank, CA.)

In 1970, Mr. Chhun began his long career with NBC News as a cameraman covering the Indochina wars in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.  Since that time, he has covered countless news events across the globe on just about every continent on the planet.

Out of the Rice Fields and into the Television Industry

Peter Chhun was born in a remote Cambodian village that had no electricity or running water.  Being poor country farmers, the members of his family could neither read nor write.  Upon the urging of his parents, Peter traveled to the town of Siem Riep where he was fortunate enough to receive mentoring from the Buddhist monks there and also continue his formal education. 

When war broke out in South East Asia fortune again came his way when he joined a NBC News team based in Cambodia.  Then, in 1975 (through NBC’s evacuation plan) Mr. Chhun escaped the Khmer Rouge when they captured Phnom Penh and claimed victory in Cambodia.  Upon arriving in the United States, he settled and worked for NBC News in Los Angeles as an editor. 

Since then Mr. Chhun has distinguished himself in the Cambodian-American community in Long Beach through a number of charitable works and activities.  He has assisted refugee families settling in the United States, provided an outlet for troubled teenagers in the Cambodian community, produced and directed the first major Miss Cambodian-American Beauty Pageant, and many other notable endeavors.  Recently, in conjunction with Cambodia Town Corporation and Phnom Penh Sisters City, he helped establish the first ever Cambodian New Year Parade in Long Beach, California. 

Mr. Chhun continues to work tirelessly with the government of Cambodia and other Cambodian non-profit organizations (such as “Cambodian Women For Peace and Development”) to help promote human rights awareness and the fight against human trafficking (especially among Cambodia’s poorest children), to help improve the country’s substandard health care system, and to promote both business and tourism in the country of his birth.

For more on Peter Chhun click HERE.                                                                                                (back to top)

Lakhena Chhuon

Vice President & Director of Operations.

(Long Beach, CA.)

Today, as a successful businesswoman, Ms. Chhuon is President & Chief Executive Officer of Belmont Shore Travel.  She’s an award-winning airline-tickets producer with extensive knowledge of the international travel industry, with special emphasis on travel to The Kingdom of Cambodia.

In conjunction with United Cambodian Community (UCC) she has created the CAMBODIAN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT program--an educational course that gives young people first-hand experience with Cambodian culture and traditions.  In addition, the program develops both teamwork and leadership skills while providing humanitarian services, the donation of goods, and classroom assistance to Cambodian English teachers.                                                                                                              (back to top)

George Lewis

(Burbank, CA.)

In 1989, Lewis was present in China for the revolt in Tiananmen Square and the revolution in Romania.  During his career with NBC News, he has also covered wars and revolutions in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.  Most recently, Lewis has been reporting on stories from his base in Los Angeles.  His current assignment includes coverage of the revolution in information technology. 

He was part of the NBC team that covered Operation Desert Storm, spending nine weeks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.  Lewis was also present in Iran during the early days of the 444-day hostage crisis in 1979, and in Lebanon for the 1982 Israeli invasion. 

His major domestic assignments have included covering the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials and the Los Angeles and Atlanta Olympics. 

Lewis began his career with NBC News as a war correspondent in Vietnam in 1970.  He spent a year and a half there, returning in 1975 to cover the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese. He's been back four times since the end of the war to report on the legacy of Vietnam. 

In more peaceful times, Lewis has done stints in NBC's Washington, Los Angeles, Houston and London bureaus. 

In December 1993, Lewis was the correspondent on "Almost 2001," an innovative five-part series that aired on "NBC Nightly News."  During that week, viewers were encouraged to write to NBC News using Internet e-mail, resulting in thousands of worldwide responses.  The series marked the beginning of interactive electronic exchanges between viewers and television networks.                         (back to top)

Cecilia Alvear

(Burbank, CA.)

As a producer Alvear has covered many major news stories; among them, the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980's, the Mexico City earthquake in 1985, protests and elections in Chile and, the "War on Drugs" in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia , the Mengele investigation in Brazil, unrest in Panama, two interviews with Fidel Castro in Cuba, the Pan American Games in Havana, the Barcelona Olympics, the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, the Colosio assassination, and all the events that have affected the Los Angeles area in recent years: riots, earthquakes, Hollywood  and the O.J. Simpson trial.

In 1988 Cecilia Alvear was one of twelve American journalists chosen for the prestigious Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University where she spent the academic year 1988-89. 

For more on Ms. Avear can be found HERE.                                                                                     (back to top)

Dr. T. S. Rajan

(Los Angeles, CA.)

Over the past 30 years, Dr. Rajan has taught clinical medicine throughout the United States and has held academic teaching positions in medicine at both Loma Linda University (White Memorial Hospital) and Marthur Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles.

Throughout his distinguished career, he has authored many articles including: “Risk Factors In Cardio Vascular Disease,” “Stress In The Workplace,” and “Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation,” etc. 

Dr. Rajan has appeared on many radio and television programs sharing his expertise on cardio vascular disease, chest pain syndrome, and on proper diet and exercise.  He often travels to India and Cambodia to lecture on these and other medical subjects.                                                                             (back to top)

Robert Chau

(Hayward, CA)

A survivor of Cambodia’s Killing Fields, Robert Chau came to the United States in 1979 with only his clothes on his back.  In 1983, after putting himself through college, he got his first job as a baker in a donut shop. 3 years later, after learning as much as he could about the bakery business, Robert bought his first donut shop.

Living the Cambodian-American dream

Hard work, persistence, and a do or die attitude put Robert in a position to buy more stores, soon at a pace of at least 5 a year including Baskin/Robin Ice Cream stores. By 1991 he owned numerous stores spread across the United States.  

His vision and acute business sense led him into the wholesale supply and real estate businesses, first purchasing B&H Distributor Company, then Golden Bake Food Service, PAC/AM Investment Group (Commercial Real Estate), and PAC/AM Land Enterprise (Farm Land Real Estate). 
 

Through the years Robert has enthusiastically shared his expertise with people of all ages who are willing to help themselves through education, persistence, and hard work.                            (back to top)

Ann Curry

(New York, New York)

Ann Curry is co-anchor for Dateline NBC and news anchor for NBC News’ Today show. 

Ms. Curry became an NBC News correspondent in August 1990, and later, "Today" news anchor in May 1997.

In addition to her extensive coverage of national and international events, she has distinguished herself in humanitarian reporting.  She was the first network news anchor to report from inside the tsunami zone in southeast Asia, filing live and taped reports from Sri Lanka for Dateline, Today, and NBC Nightly News.  She was also the first network news anchor to report on the humanitarian refugee crisis caused by the genocide in Kosovo, filing live and taped reports from Albania and Macedonia.

Ms. Curry has earned numerous awards for her journalistic work including multiple Emmys, Golden Mikes, and Associated Press Certificates of Excellence, among others.  She has been honored by Americares, the Anti-Defamation League as a Woman of Achievement, and the Asian American Journalists Association.  She has also won numerous awards for her charity work, primarily for breast cancer research. 

Ms. Curry graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in 1978.

For more on Ms. Curry can be found HERE.                                                                                      (back to top)

Susan Friedman

(Burbank, CA)

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Revised: 11/24/07.