Faculty Bios
The majority of our collegiate faculty at the American University of Phnom Penh hold Ph.D. or other terminal degrees from American or other Western university or equivalent professional qualifications and have university-level teaching experience. The faculty members have been trained in interactive and collaborative pedagogy that engage students in their own learning, thus making learning more useful and meaningful to the students. Our faculty members make teaching their first priority and are committed to helping students—starting in their freshman year—discover their talents, strengthen their abilities and become creative, innovative, and confident leaders. Our professors also serve as academic advisers who help students grow, learn, discover, and succeed.
Dr. Christopher Pappas / Associate Professor, Law
Dr. Pappas is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University and Vermont Law School. He practiced environmental and construction law for fifteen years in Washington, DC where he was a partner in the law firm of Watt, Tieder, Hoffar and Fitzgerald. He previously taught law at the University of Business and Economics in Beijing, China as part of an international program with Fort Hays State University. Dr. Christopher now teaches a variety of law courses at AUPP.
Dr. Christopher Raymond / Associate Professor, Business
Dr. Raymond earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later an international MBA from École National des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, France. After receiving his MBA, Dr. Raymond became an Economics lecturer in the Management School at Imperial College, London. While there, he served as Deputy Director of their Executive MBA program. In 2016, after five years in London, Dr. Raymond moved to Bangkok, Thailand, where he worked as a senior financial analyst and chief economist. Dr. Raymond has been at AUPP since 2015, teaching courses in the areas of finance, accounting, economics and statistics.
Dr. David Moser / Associate Professor, Law
Dr. Moser is an Associate Professor of Law at the American University of Phnom Penh. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the University of Memphis. Before joining AUPP, Dr. Moser taught business law in China and also taught in the US at Middle Tennessee State University and Belmont University. He has also been a visiting scholar at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and a Fulbright Scholar in the Philippines. As an attorney in the US, Dr. Moser specialized in intellectual property and entertainment law. He is a co-author of Music Copyright Law published by Cengage Learning.
Dr. Donald Rallis / Professor, Geography
Donald Rallis began his studies in Geography at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He then moved to the United States where he obtained a Masters’ degree in Geography at the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. at Penn State University. From 1990 until 2013, he taught a wide variety of geography courses at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. He then moved to Cambodia to join the faculty at the American University of Phnom Penh when the university opened, and has been at AUPP ever since., teaching a variety of courses in Geography, Global Affairs, and History.
Pat Beck / Instructor, Business
Mr. Beck is an alumni of the London School of Economics (MSc), Sciences Po – Paris (MA), and the University of California, Berkeley (BA) completing the programs with distinction in scholarship and merit. His interdisciplinary background bridges the fields of economics, political science and finance. His prior academic work has focused on sovereign wealth funds and the political economy of the Banking Union of the EU. He is the Director of AUPP’s Center for Southeast Asia Studies and a faculty member teaching in both the Business and the Global Affairs departments.
Dr. Jose Mora / Associate Professor, Global Affairs
Dr. Mora holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut, a BS in Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and an MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma. He served in the US Coast Guard for eleven years. Dr. Mora taught Political Science at the University of Connecticut-Stamford and Intelligence Studies at the American Military University. He is currently a professor of Global Affairs at AUPP. He teaches Comparative Politics, International Relations, International Security, Globalization and other courses. His areas of interest include intelligence, transnational threats, religion and politics, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and foreign policy.
Dr. Paul Hughes / Assistant Professor, Business
Originally from Odessa, Missouri USA, Dr. Hughes received his Ph.D. in Sustainable Development from Thaksin University, Songkhla, Thailand having previously attended the University of Central Missouri receiving an Ed.S. degree in Public Services, MS degree in Industrial Safety, and dual BA degrees in Psychology and Sociology. While in the USA, Dr. Hughes was a computer systems analyst for 15 years and taught computer science and programming at universities for over 25 years. Prior to coming to AUPP, Dr. Hughes taught at various universities in Thailand from 2005 through 2016. In the AUPP-UA dual degree program, Dr. Hughes teaches Management Information Systems and Principles of Marketing.
Dr. Stefan Tkac / Associate Professor, Architecture/ Civil Engineering
Dr. Stefan is a dual Ph.D., graduate from Chung Hua University, Hisnchu, Taiwan R.O.C. and the Technical University of Košice, Slovak Republic. He holds a professional diploma in both Architecture and Urban Planning as well as Theory of Building and Environment. He holds the European engineering EUR ING professional title. Dr. Tkac owns a design company, therefore, his AUPP studios in Structural Principles or Building Systems are based on wide experience gained from his projects in Asia and Europe. Dr. Tkac is also active in research, focusing on micro-urban design, micro-energy, and hydro-power plants. His biggest achievements are the MUMT – Micro Urban Multipurpose Turbine development program, EEPGC – Efficiency Electric Power Grid Circles theory and the very first complex hydro-power plant mapping of Taiwan.
Dr. Stan McGahey / Professor and Chair of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Dr. McGahey has immense experience and knowledge in the tourism and hospitality industry. He has traveled in over 100 countries on six continents, and has worked and consulted in many of them, including for the United Nations Development Program in China, the International Labor Organization in Indonesia, the Research Triangle Institute International in Iraq, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the Korea Tourism Research Institute, the Korea National Tourism Corporation, and the Guam Legislature. He has also authored several tourism books, written hundreds of travel trade articles, and created and co-hosted two radio programs on the tourism industry. His works have been published in the Wall Street Journal and the London Economist Intelligence Unit, and he has been interviewed by CNN International. He has been a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Panel of Tourism Experts since 2004.
Dr. Steven Graham / English Preparatory Program Director & Assistant Professor
Dr. Graham earned his Doctorate in Education (EdD) from the Open University, UK and Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) from Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Having achieved Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), he is a pro-active leader in the design and instruction of internal and external English language teaching methodology workshops and has been the principal coordinator of courses for teacher education, management and training. Recently, Dr. Graham was selected as an Assessor for the Accreditation Committee of Cambodia to assess higher education institutions in the country. He has consistently published research and pedagogical articles in international magazines and journals.
Dr. Sothie Keo / Adjunct Professor, Law
Dr. Keo earned his Juris Doctor and Masters of Law in International Human Rights from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Washington. He is currently a Managing Partner of Keo Law firm, which represents both national and international clients in corporation, commercial and public law matters. Dr. Keo had drafted many and various corporate and commercial contracts, agreements and opinions over the past years. At the same time, Dr. Keo is also working as legal advisor to the Civil Party Lead Co-Lawyers of the Extraordinary Chambers in the court of Cambodia. He conducts legal research and analysis on various issues in international and Cambodian criminal law, human rights law and humanitarian law.
Dr. Teck Choon Teo, MBA Coordinator & Associate Professor, Business
Dr. Teo earned his doctorate in Business Administration from the University of South Australia. He also holds a Master degree in Education from Monash University and a Master degree in Management from Macquarie University. Dr. Teo has a wide range of undergraduate and graduate (MBA level) teaching experience. He began his career as teaching faculty since 2004 and has taught a variety of courses such as International Leadership, International Marketing, and Human Resource Management Strategy. He has worked in senior management teams in notable institutions such as London School of Business and Finance, SHRI Academy, TMC Academy and EASB Institute of Management. Dr. Teo had engaged in much research and has published widely in a vriety of journals over the years. His recent book, Strategic Thinking and Insights, was published in 2018.
