Buasawan Simmala

Buasawan Simmala is an international multimedia journalist with VOA’s Lao Service, where she writes and hosts a variety of radio programs. Simmala also designs and adapts English lessons for joint broadcasting with Lao National Radio in Vientiane, Laos as well as for Lao Service’s Radio program.

Simmala worked for VOA between 2009 to 2013 as a radio broadcaster and later joined VOA’s Lao Service in 2017. Prior to her current work, Simmala was a communication manager for a project with the United States Agency for International Development in Laos and assisted with regional development at USAID’s office in Thailand. Simmala served as a communication manager at Mekong Institute, an intergovernmental institute in Thailand. There, she was an editor and managed a multinational staff in writing quarterly journals, press releases on variety of topics, namely agriculture, environment, trade, and education. She also managed the organization’s website to promote visibility.

Simmala graduated from George Mason University with Master of Arts in International Commerce and Public Policy under its Fulbright Program and holds a Ph.D. in adult education specializing in second language acquisition.