Dr.  Phitsamay Sychitkokhong Uy 

Dr. Uy is an assistant professor in the Leadership in Schooling program at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Her research focuses on immigrant students, in particular, Southeast Asian educational experiences and parent/community engagement. Her teaching experiences include being an elementary school teacher, a literacy specialist, and an Asian American studies instructor. She has served on the editorial boards of Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, and the Journal of Lao Studies.

For the past 16 eyars, Dr. Uy has been involved in various community boards of directors including Southeast Asia Resource Action Center Center, Asian American Resource Workshop, Chea Uy Trust Fund, Institute of Asian American Studies at University of Massachusetts Boston, Legacies of War National Steering Committee, and the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund.

She received her B.S. in Human Resource Management and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College and an M.Ed. and an Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. Her dissertation, The Educational Experiences of Lao and Khmer High School Students: The Influence of Families, Friends, and Teachers on Academic Achievement, examined the factors that motivated students to do well in school.

Dr. Uy is the first Lao American to receive a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.