Ensayenna Chey
President & CEO
Ensayenna Chey was born in Cambodia in 1955, the daughter of a respected mayor. She grew up in a family that valued education and public service.
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge seized control of Cambodia. Ensayenna lost her father, her mother, her husband, and her newborn child. Because her education and family background made her vulnerable, she concealed her identity and endured years of persecution and deprivation.
An unexpected connection with Richard Walden, president of Operation USA, eventually helped her escape to Thailand and find refuge in the United States.
Ensayenna rebuilt her life in Southern California, where she spent more than three decades as a social worker, dedicating herself to helping others. Her story is also told in her memoir, White Elephant.
But survival was not the end of her story.
Her experiences gave her a lasting conviction: those whose lives were lost to war and genocide should not disappear from memory simply because they were denied a proper resting place.
Today, Ensayenna is working to create a permanent memorial in Los Angeles—a place to honor those who were lost, preserve their stories, and give survivors, families, and future generations a place to remember.
Her experience gave the memorial its beginning. Its purpose is to remember lives from around the world.