Board of Directors

Romi Grossberg

Romi was a resident in Phnom Penh from 2010 to 2014 after having been recruited by Australian Volunteers for International Development (AViD). She was the General Manager of Tiny Toones 2010-2012, the Management Advisor 2012-2013 and joined the Board of Directors in 2021. Romi brought Tiny Toones on the TEDx Phnom Penh stage with her in 2011 and has travelled widely with KK and the dance and rap crew to perform in Singapore, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. In 2015 Romi moved from Cambodia to Thailand where she currently works as a Counsellor, Professional Development trainer and Author. She continues to visit Cambodia every year. Romi has written her memoir HIP HOP & HOPE based on her life in Cambodia and her work with Tiny Toones. It will be available in 2024 and 50% of proceeds will go to the centre.

 

 

Mark Bo

Mark joined the Tiny Toones Board in November 2016. After arriving in Cambodia in 2007, Mark worked as an adviser at Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, supporting the development of the organization’s community legal and human rights awareness program. During this time, he first met KK and watched Tiny Toones grow from a small dance club in KK’s living room to a vibrant organization, working with hundreds of at-risk youth. Living in China between 2011-2015, Mark consulted for various local and international organizations working in Mekong countries. He has since returned to the region to work for an international organization focusing on business and human rights.

 

Richard England

Richard first became involved with Tiny Toones in 2011 as a finance volunteer working at the centre in Phnom Penh. Since then he has become a long-term donor, advisor, and in 2017 joined the Tiny Toones Board of Directors. His knowledge and advice is invaluable to the Tiny Toones team. Richard is a management consultant specialising in commercial matters and holds the ACCA’s Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance.

 

 

Sophea Phea 
Sophea joined Tiny Toones in 2023. She was a co-founder/co-director of 1Love Cambodia (2015-2018), which was a volunteer-led movement that advocated against the unjust deportation of Khmer refugees from the United States to Cambodia. As a leader of this movement, Sophea led the fight for Khmer deportees’ “right to return,” in order to reconcile with their families and communities in the United States. Her efforts blazed the trail for her own successful reinstatement of permanent U.S. residency, and return to Long Beach, CA in 2022, after her deportation in 2011. As a champion of her community, Sophea has always supported KK and all his efforts to advance Tiny Toones. Alongside her social justice and advocacy work, Sophea also served as a full-time educator, teaching English in Cambodia for eight years. With her residency reinstated, Sophea is now pursuing a B.S. in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota to better serve her community in her capacity as both an educator and social justice advocate.

 

Cheryl Yin

Cheryl Yin joined Tiny Toones in 2024. She is a linguistic anthropologist and Assistant Professor at Carleton College in Minnesota. Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, her childhood was filled with memories of eating kuytiew at Hak Heang restaurant and celebrating Khmer New Year at El Dorado Park. A first-generation scholar, she earned her BA from Pitzer College before receiving her MA and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. While conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Cambodia for her PhD degree, Cheryl frequently encountered Cambodian American deportees. Since then, she has spread awareness about the unjust deportation of Cambodian Americans by giving lectures and creating pedagogical materials for K-12 educators.

 

Michael Otto

Michael was a resident of Cambodia from 2005 to 2009 and was managing legal education and advocacy programs with Bridges Across Borders in Cambodia and the Southeast Asia region. Michael has been involved with Tiny Toones since its earlier days in KK’s living room and has been part of fundraising, organisational development, implementation of the educational programs, international tours, and creative aspects of the organisation since the first center was constructed. He has also spent periods of time assisting in the overall management and development of Tiny Toones, directly in Cambodia and from abroad, including organising the Board of Directors and Senior Management.

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