Marissa Kaloga

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.