Education & Workforce Development

In 2004, I met a courageous young woman who changed my life. Her name was Veasna Chea. She was about thirty years old at the time and working with the UN Commission on Human Rights in Cambodia. Like many Cambodians of her generation, some of Veasna’s family members had been killed in the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s, and she had grown up poor. But her mother was determined that her daughter receive an education.

It all started with a scribbled note on the steps of Angkor Wat in 2007. It was onthisnote that friends Robbie Reese and Garrett Gravesen, graduates of the University of Georgia, conceptualized their big idea for transforming study abroad. Their vision – to lead transformative experiences – would be the foundation for Global LEAD, an innovative, purpose-driven organization, focused on leading life-changing experiences for youth, at home and abroad.