Meet Jackie Melendez
Tell us your story.
I was born and raised in Southern California. I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in a community primarily comprised of Latinx and Asian families, which explains my obsession for tacos and ramen. I grew up with a fascination for cities and place. I was curious about why some places seemed to have more suffering than others? Why were some places poor and others wealthy? These questions led me to study Community Development and Chicano Studies at UC Berkeley. I later studied poverty in the Inland Empire, earning a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona. Collectively, I have spent 18 years working in cities in Southern California practicing how to build more inclusive programs and ecosystems for workforce, business and community development.
Why IEGO?
I am proud of the work I have done in cities with exceptionally talented staff and community leaders who are committed to public service. I am excited to take what I have learned in local government and economic development and apply it at a regional scale. I am excited to join IEGO and be a part of this dynamic network of collaborators who envision ways to create opportunity and build the future. IEGO is a network of passionate people who seek out knowledge and have offices full of idea boards and post-it notes about how they can make a difference. I am inspired by the people in this network.
What is the biggest opportunity you see with IEGO today?
Ironically, the biggest opportunity stems from the pandemic. There has never been a greater time for change like now and with change comes opportunity. Working throughout the pandemic with businesses and community groups, I have seen amazing instances of generosity, creativity and community building. The challenges around us make now an amazing time to create opportunity and I want to be on the team that makes a difference.
What is one specific challenge that IEGO is dealing with?
The obvious challenge is geography. Our region is huge! And there is so much diversity in our communities and local economies from one corner of the region to the next. Even communities that share a border can be vastly different in need and resources. But the challenge of geography goes deeper. Local history also plays a major role in how communities and local leaders interact. Communities, like people, have long memories and remembrances of injustices from the past. In regional work and partnership, it is critical to build trust and understanding to overcome the ill effects of power struggles and competition that destroy collaboration and authentic community building efforts. IEGO is willing to take on this challenge and respectfully moves towards inclusivity. We seek to elevate the region and amplify the multitude of voices within, so we can grow and attract the resources needed for our communities to thrive together.
Lastly, what is the most urgent ask of local decision-makers to help bring inclusive economic opportunities to their communities?
The upcoming year has the potential to be the most transformative in our region’s history. We have so many opportunities to mobilize around and amazing leaders with innovative, life changing programs to offer. We have to open our hearts and minds and embrace new ways of doing business, service delivery and program development. We have much to learn from our local businesses and leaders in growing industry clusters like Sustainable Logistics, Advanced Manufacturing, Green Technology and Cybersecurity. Our community based organizations, residents and youth for whom we create programs and services have so much to offer, if we can only listen and create space for new possibilities. Leaders throughout the region have a tremendous opportunity to rebuild organizations and institutions in new ways, I invite these leaders to join with IEGO as we move to make our region stronger.
