Amit Kakkad Appointed Director of USD's Center for Peace and Commerce

Amit Kakkad, assistant professor of operations management in the University of San Diego School of Business, has been appointed director for USD’s Center of Peace and Commerce, a joint partnership between the business school and the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.

The Center for Peace and Commerce (CPC) supports students in the San Diego-Tijuana region in developing social innovations for a positive impact on people, planet, profit and peace. The CPC promotes a new paradigm where business and entrepreneurship intersect with peacebuilding through a unique host of initiatives taking place inside and outside the classroom; CPC programs are designed involving hundreds of leaders in the region who come to share their expertise with undergraduate and graduate students.

“Innovating to solve humanity’s urgent challenges is central to the University of San Diego’s vision and the CPC represents a path to prepare new generations of Changemakers who will ethically solve problems in today’s fast changing world,” says Patricia Marquez, dean of the Kroc School and CPC’s founding director.

“Dr. Kakkad’s solid expertise and tremendous passion for his activities for peace and commerce will enrich and enhance the CPC’s growth and interdisciplinary endeavors,” says Jaime Alonso Gómez, dean of the School of Business. “He has been closely engaged with the CPC since he joined USD in 2012, serving as a coach and a mentor in the Idea Labs and as a judge of Social Innovation Challenge proposals, and he will bring to this role a depth of knowledge and effective action for building and sustaining an eco-system for social enterprises.”

Formerly, Kakkad worked across diverse industries in both large corporations and start-ups in different countries. He has experience with nonprofit organizations including serving as a board member in three organizations in Europe and an elementary school in San Diego. He received his BA in engineering from the DD Institute of Technology, his MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College and his MRes and PhD from the London Business School.

Kakkad’s work in the CPC will be complemented by Rachel Christensen, who joined CPC in November as assistant director. Christensen was formerly a program specialist for Edify in the Dominican Republic and a field operations coordinator for Edify’s programs around the world. Edify is a nonprofit founded by Christopher Crane, board member of the School of Business, with the goal of improving and expanding affordable private education models globally. Christensen has a BA in international studies from Point Loma Nazarene University and is currently pursuing master’s degrees in public administration and Latin American studies at San Diego State University.