SEARCA, through the Graduate Scholarship and Institutional Development Unit (GSIDU), collaborates with the Regional SEARCA Alumni Association (RSAA) for the upcoming Alumni Forum on Transformational Leadership on 25 November 2021, Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (GMT +8:00). The forum is in celebration of SEARCA’s 55th Anniversary and will tackle the experiences and reflections of selected SEARCA alumni on what it takes to be a transformational leader. SEARCA invited Dr. Weerapon Thongma (Thailand), Dr. Asikin Yoeu (Cambodia), and Mr. Natalino Babo Martins (Timor Leste) as panelists for the forum to be hosted via the #SEARCASOLVE platform.
Dr. Weerapon Thongma is an Associate Professor and the President of Maejo University in Thailand with almost 35 years of experience in leadership in the academe. He pursued his PhD in Extension Education at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) through a DAAD-SEARCA Joint Scholarship. Currently, he is also the President of the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges and Universities (AAACU) and the ASEAN Agriculture University Network (AAUN). Recently, he was the recipient of the Presidential Award given by UPLB and the UPLB Alumni Association (UPLBAA) during the 103rd Loyalty Day and Alumni Awarding Ceremony.
Dr. Asikin Yoeu is an Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia. She finished her MS in Agricultural Economics at UPLB through a SEARCA Scholarship. Dr. Asikin then took her PhD in Economics Management at Montpellier SupAgro, France. Dr. Asikin rose from the ranks starting as a Summer Field Research Intern at the Royal University of Agriculture. After four years, she became the Head of Graduate Department, Graduate School of Agriculture, and the Deputy Director of Ecosystem Service and Land Use Research Center (ECOLAND), Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development. Dr. Asikin continued to serve Cambodia through her leadership in the academe for over 11 years, and the Cambodian Government starting in 2018.
Mr. Natalino Babo Martins is the Deputy Project Manager of Conservation International in Timor Leste. He received his MS in Animal Science at UPLB through a DAAD-SEARCA Joint Scholarship. For nine years, Natalino has shared his expertise and leadership in various projects funded by the United States Department of Agriculture such as with the Mud Crab and Fish Cultivation Project under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Timor Leste and the Avansa Agrikultura.
Another SEARCA scholarship alumna, Dr. Serlie Barroga-Jamias, Professor, College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Baños, will serve as Moderator. She completed her MS in Development Communication also at UPLB as a SEARCA scholar. She then pursued her PhD in Communication at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. At UPLB, she has served in administrative positions for 12 years, such as being Director of Public Relations two times and as Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, all under three different chancellors.
The Alumni Forum on Transformational Leadership will be streamed live on SEARCA’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/seameo.searca.
