May 23, 2025

As part of the Chamber’s efforts to make the San Diego and CaliBaja region the best place to live and work, the IPA team participated in a series of forums to elevate advocacy efforts and educate business and community leaders on regional priorities that promote economic prosperity and help our businesses thrive. This included joining the Prebys Foundation WAVES festival to talk about cross-border collaboration, policy priorities, and key takeaways following the Chamber’s recent delegation trip.

In addition, VP of International and Public Affairs Kenia Zamarripa participated in this year’s U.S.-Mexico Forum hosted by UCSD’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. This annual event aims to enhance bilateral cooperation and spotlight shared opportunities and challenges both on a national and regional scale. She joined Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles, and Maria Salinas, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, for a conversation on the rise of state-level diplomacy in U.S.-Mexico relations.

The Chamber IPA team also supported LEAD San Diego’s IMPACT Program on their last session. This year’s cohort traveled to Tijuana to learn about cross-border trade, hear from local businesses about how they’ve leveraged our region’s complimenting resources to create a successful business model, and regional efforts to tackle common challenges such as mitigating transboundary pollution impacting our community. Special thanks to ITJ for hosting us and sharing how they connect San Diego businesses with development and software engineers in Tijuana. Applications for the 2026 IMPACT Cohort are open until June 13, for more information click here.