Dr. Marissa Kaloga is a lecturer at University of Otago’s Department of Social and Community Work, where she teaches the Communities and Organizations series. Her research focuses on women’s financial inclusion and economic justice, examining strategies to support family and community. Through her mixed-methods research in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. she has worked with vulnerable and marginalized populations such as sex workers, refugees, and women in extreme poverty. She was the 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar to Guinea at Université General Lansana Conte – Sonfonia’s (UGLC) Center for Research on Society, Democracy, and Sustainable Development, where she consulted on the World Bank program, Femmes Sans Barrières, and supported the development of Guinea’s first tertiary level social work program. She is currently focused on sustainable community economic development, specifically the role of building entrepreneurial ecosystems that promote inclusive entrepreneurship.

- Location: Otago
- Qualifications: Bachelor Degree, Masters Degree, PhD or Doctorate
- Ethnic Groups: Other
- Area of Expertise: Poverty & Wealth, Research and Evaluation, Community Development, Cultural Diversity, Human Rights & Civil Liberties, Income, Poverty & Wealth, Immigrants/ Migrants & Refugees, Non-profit Sector, Social Services, Women / Wāhine
- Professional Memberships: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) International Consortium on Social Development (ICSD) West African Research Consortium (WARC)
- Email: marissa.kaloga@otago.ac.nz