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Co-Founder / Co-Director
Tara Gujadhur
Tara has a BA in Anthropology and an MSc in Sustainable Tourism, and over 20 years experience in tourism development, cultural heritage management, and community development throughout Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. Before founding TAEC Tara came to Laos, in 2003, with a development agency to advise the government on sustainable tourism, primarily in ethnic communities. Today Tara guides TAEC’s research, marketing and strategic development, among other responsibilities.
Co-Founder / Co-Director
Thong(Khoun) Soutthivilay
Khoun worked at the Luang Prabang National Museum for over 10 years, finishing as Collection Manager. She has studied in Thailand, the Netherlands, Japan, and Laos, focusing on Museum Management, Conservation and Exhibition of Southeast Asian Collections, and Conservation of Textiles. Khoun was an Asian Cultural Council Fellow based at the Smithsonian on Exhibition Design, and a resident at the Saitama Prefecture Museum in Japan. Today she oversees TAEC’s livelihoods activities, the TAEC Shop and collections management, and the development of exhibitions.
General Manager
Keuay Chanthangone
Keuay is originally from Bomxing Village in Luang Prabang Province. He has been with TAEC since 2008, in a variety of roles, and is currently our General Manager. Keuay has grown professionally through sector trainings and internships in Netherlands, the USA, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Today he is responsible for the day-to-day operations, as well as being involved in ethnic community research, assisting with exhibition production, and contributing to the overall advancement of TAEC.
Collections Manager
Khamchanh (Ton) Souvannalith
Ton has studied Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Museum Management, Conservation and Exhibition of Southeast Asian Collections, and Conservation of Textiles in Thailand, Vietnam, and the USA. He was a fellow at the Department of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History and participated in the American Alliance of Museum Conference in Atlanta. Today Ton conducts ethnological research in rural villages, ensures the cataloguing and preservation of museum objects, manages TAEC’s resource library, and provides informative talks and tours.
Shop Manager
Alai Sayawed
Alai, originally from Northern Laos, came to Luang Prabang in 2003 as part of his Buddist Monk studies. He left monastic life after graduating in Business & English studies, joining the TAEC team soon after. Today, he manages all aspects of both the Museum Shop and TAEC Boutique. He also works closely with TAEC’s artisan producer groups managing product design & development. Alai has traveled to the USA and Vietnam representing TAEC at international trade fairs and markets; as well as attending regional workshops promoting economic development in textiles.
Financial Administrator
Toy
Stock Manager
Nang
Boutique Assistant Manager
Feun
Shop Assistant Manager
Lom
Ticket Sales
Phone
Shop & Boutique Sales
Namsom
Boutique Sales
Done
Cashier
Pheung
Ticket Sales
Chanh
Stock Assistant
Noy
Shop & Boutique Sales
Farr
Ticket Sales
Namneung
Grants & Funding
Donna
Marketing & Sales Director
Jennifer
Collaborator
Dr. Yukino Ochiai
Dr. Yukino Ochiai, ethnobotanist and professor at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan, has been researching cultural uses of plants for daily life in Southeast Asia for many years. In 2016 she curated the TAEC special exhibition “Seeds of Culture: From Living Plants to Handicrafts” to shed light on traditional clothing & accessories decorated with Job’s Tears seed beads. In 2024, she worked at TAEC as a visiting researcher to study the use of fiber plants for making threads and textiles in northern Laos, with an emphasis on recognising their cultural value and sustainability from agricultural and ecological standpoints. You can read her published works here.
Collaborator
Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir
Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir is a Belgian ethnomusicologist who extensively studied the song khap of the Tai Dam; her thesis is entitled, The Khap Tai Dam, Categorisation and Musical Models; Ethnomusicological Study in Tai Populations from Highlands in Laos (available in french). She regularly shares her work at international conferences and through academic articles.
She curated TAEC’s special exhibition that opened in 2018, “Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos” and worked with the team on research and documentation, artefact collection, and photographic archives.
Collaborator
Kees Sprengers
Kees Sprengers has been a photographer for over 20 years, documenting the lifestyles and cultures of Luang Namtha province since 2002. In 2008 he started working with TAEC, particularly on the Taoism of the Yao Mun and Yao Mien people. This work culminated in our special exhibition: “Splendour and Sacrifice: Taoism of Northern Laos”. Kees’ photographs of a Kim Di Mun wedding were also featured in the special exhibition, From Courtship to Kinship: Wedding Celebrations of Laos’ Ethnic Groups. Kees is currently based in Thailand. More of his work can be see on his website.
Collaborator
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh is a Lao-American independent researcher and a consultant on community-based tourism and heritage projects in Laos and Bali, Indonesia; she was intrinsic to the establishment of TAEC. Linda holds a Master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies, a Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University, and a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington. She has curated exhibitions in Laos, Thailand, and the United States. Her latest project in Laos involves the development and curation of the Xieng Khouang Provincial Museum.