Our Team
At Thailand Experiences, our strength lies in a small, dedicated team with deep roots in Thailand and a shared passion for cross-cultural education. Each of us brings a unique background and perspective, united by a commitment to creating life-changing experiences for every student who joins us.
David was born in the UK and moved to Colorado at 16, where he completed high school and earned his B.A. His first instinct after graduation was to head to Asia. He volunteered and lived with a family in Kathmandu before making his way to Thailand, a country that now been his home for more than 20 years.
Over two decades in Thailand, David has worked as a teacher, as a development officer with NGOs, and as the on-site lead for volunteer, internship, semester, and faculty-led programs across the country. He holds an M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies and an M.B.A., and is fluent in Thai, which shapes how the team builds and sustains long-term relationships with Thai community partners.
David founded Thailand Experiences on a straightforward conviction: living and working in an unfamiliar environment is one of the fastest ways to grow, because it challenges how you think, how you communicate, and how you solve problems. He leads the organization with a focus on academically grounded programs, ethical and sustained partnerships with Thai communities, and learning that goes well beyond tourism.
Born and raised in Bangkok, Sommaya has studied and worked in the UK and Japan. These life-changing experiences shaped her and inspired her to support students through their own study abroad experiences.
As Learning & Development Director, she leads the learning design for Thailand Experiences programs, connecting academic and career readiness goals with workshops and activities designed to support student outcomes throughout their experience in Thailand.
Sommaya has more than a decade of experience across international higher education and learning and development. She has taught management courses at Thai universities and in the Czech Republic as a visiting Erasmus Scholar.
Alongside her work with Thailand Experiences, she also designs and delivers leadership and team development programs for the U.S. government across the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier in her career, she worked in airline customer service and corporate key account management.
She holds a BBA from Mahidol University International College, an MSc in International Business Management from Bournemouth University, and a PhD from the University of Salford. Her PhD thesis focused on U.S. students’ study abroad behavior in Thailand.
Thamonpat brings an international perspective and strong organizational skills to her role as Program Manager. She holds a Master of Social Science (M.S.S.) from Denmark, combining academic training in social development with hands-on coordination across Thailand Experiences’ semester, faculty-led, internship, and custom programs.
Thamonpat is central to program logistics, partner communication, and program quality. She works with university partners on academic and practical requirements, keeps on-the-ground details moving, monitors student and partner feedback, and turns that feedback into concrete improvements for the next cycle. Her work is what allows faculty to concentrate on teaching and students to concentrate on learning.
Ann oversees all Bangkok-based operations and is the primary point of contact for students, visiting faculty, and partners in the capital. She holds an M.A. from the UK and previously worked with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), giving her substantial experience in international development and cross-cultural collaboration. She also holds JLPT Level 2 certification in Japanese.
In Bangkok, Ann coordinates placements, community partners, excursions, housing, and daily student support, and she is the steady presence students turn to when something is unfamiliar or difficult. Her development background keeps Bangkok programs anchored in genuine, reciprocal relationships with local organizations rather than one-off visits.
Adisorn leads operations in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s cultural capital in the north. He holds a B.A. in Japanese and has worked in the field for 12 years, and his long-standing relationships across the north, from community organizations and schools to homestay families, are what give programs in the region their depth.
From coordinating excursions and homestays to managing local partnerships and supporting students day to day, Adisorn makes sure time in Chiang Mai is safe, well organized, and genuinely valuable for the communities that host students as well as for the students themselves. His local knowledge and hands-on approach are central to program quality in the north.
Saranporn tells the story of Thailand Experiences. With a background in journalism and communication arts and more than two years of experience in media production and digital content creation, she documents student learning, partner work, and daily life on program in Thailand.
Her focus is honest storytelling: showing what students actually do, what they learn, and how Thai partners and communities are part of that learning, rather than presenting Thailand as a destination to be consumed.