Oct 11, 2017
Dr. Teri Tan
Cambodia: From the Killing Fields to the Present-Health and other Infrastructure Challenges

Dr Teri Tan is a Greek-born, Australian-American citizen, who has lived, studied and worked in multiple countries prior to settling in California. Her interests in multiculturalism, education, cultural anthropology, and her own experience as a child of poor immigrant parents, have always led her to helping the underprivileged.

In Australia, she was part of a core group of educators instrumental in laying the foundation for the introduction of languages, both European and Asian--including Cambodian--for all children (K-12). She worked for both the Sate and Federal Government and came to the US on a research scholarship and sabbatical.

Teri has always been involved in a number of philanthropic and community organizations since she was a college student, and has won various awards, some of which led her to study overseas in Greece, Italy, American Samoa, and the U.S. In California, she has been a member of the Soroptimists International of Long Beach and the Long Beach Education Foundation among others. One of her proud moments was winning the 2011 Soroptimists "Women Who Make a Difference Award in International Goodwill and Understanding". She has been part of CHPAA since its inception in the late 1990’s and loves her almost full-time volunteer job as Mission Administrator. Even though Khmer is not one of the 5 languages she speaks, Teri enjoys working in the field in Cambodia, and communicates with basic phrases, smiles, and hugs to those in need. Additionally, she is a business consultant, specializing in medical office management, HR, negotiations, and marketing.

In her spare time, Dr. Teri Tan loves to spend quality time with her two beloved children who are Greek-Australian as well as American-Cambodian-Chinese. She enjoys visiting Greece and Australia to catch up with family and colleagues, and of course, loves to travel to Cambodia where she has established an extensive network of friends and CHPAA contacts. She is excited to have been appointed an “Ambassador” and trainer for the Ellen Meadows Foundation Prosthetic Hand Project, which supplies hands for amputees free of charge in over 60 countries, including Cambodia.