University of San Diego Hires Melissa Floca to Lead Cross-Border Initiatives at Kroc IPJ

The University of San Diego’s Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) is proud to welcome Melissa Floca as the program officer for cross-border initiatives. In this role, Floca will develop and oversee a portfolio of research and programming focused on creating a more peaceful and inclusive U.S.-Mexico border region.

Prior to joining Kroc IPJ, Melissa spent eight years at UC San Diego, where she worked with the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, Mexican Migration Field Research Program and Border Solutions Alliance on issues of innovation, education, workforce development and economic competitiveness. Before moving to the border region, she worked at the Mexico City-based office of McKinsey & Co., serving clients on projects related to financial inclusion, public health and low-income housing. She holds a BA in Political Science and Economics from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a graduate diploma in International Studies from SAIS Europe. 

“The San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan region is a place of innovation,” said Floca. “But reconciling the seeming contradiction between the dynamism and marginalization at the border requires recognizing an uncomfortable truth: many of the same global forces that drive the border region’s successes are responsible for its challenges. Reducing violence and inequality in our region requires a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders working together and I hope that our cross-border initiatives at Kroc IPJ can highlight practical avenues for change and inspire more people to take action.”

The Kroc IPJ will be launching several new activities this year. The first is the non-residential Border Fellows program that will create a network of local scholars, practitioners and policymakers based in Southern California and Baja California. Additionally, Kroc IPJ will publish a series of thought pieces on issues related to migration, homicide reduction, and economic development to serve as an intellectual framework for future activities. 
“Melissa Floca brings deep expertise and experience to the challenge of creating a more peaceful, more inclusive border region,” said Andrew Blum, executive director of the Kroc IPJ. “She is a true leader who will ensure we are fulfilling the mission of the Kroc IPJ — to end cycles of violence and build peaceful societies — right here in our own region.”

Learn more about Kroc IPJ's cross-border initiatives here: https://www.sandiego.edu/peace/institute-and-center/institute-for-peace-justice/initiatives/cross-border-initiatives.php