Last week, Dr. Keshia Pollack Porter visited Barcelona from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States, to meet with the Center and its collaborating institutions face-to-face for the first time since the Center has been under the direction of Drs. Keshia Pollack Porter (JHU) and Joan Benach (UPF). On Thursday 30th June, a meeting was held between Dr. Pollack Porter and the Barcelona-based members of the Center. Dr. Pollack Porter was introduced to new members of the Center: visiting scholars Dr. Beatriz Rodríguez Labajos and Julián Martínez-Herrera, and staff members Ángela Londoño López (communications) and Júlia Tena (research assistant). Various topics were discussed during the meeting, such as: the recent changes and developments that have been occurring in the Center; current and future projects; and the Center’s structure and strategies as it progresses into its new phase of existence. Drs. Christos Zografos and Javier Arregui, members of the Center’s Executive Board, also shared updates regarding their research projects in climate policy (Dr. Zografos) and EU policy (Dr. Arregui, Director of the Barcelona Center for European Studies (BACES)). The participants expressed their excitement for the new projects and opportunities occurring at the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center and the continued partnership between the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Johns Hopkins University.

During her visit, Dr. Pollack Porter also met with members of the UPF Barcelona School of Management, including the General Director, José M. Martinez-Sierra and the Dean, Llorenç Bagur; the previous Rector of the UPF, Dr. Jaume Casals; the manager of the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), Dr. Carme Borrell; and with members of the Barcelona Urban Environmental Justice lab (BCN-EUJ), Dr. Isabelle Anguelovski, Dr. Helen Cole and Dr. Margarita Triguero-Mas.

Photo of the meeting at the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center on 30/06/22.
From left to right: (top row) Julián Martínez-Herrera, Beatriz Rodríguez Labajos, Christos Zografos, Joan Benach, Javier Arregui, Keshia Pollack Porter, Lucinda Cash-Gibson; (bottom row) Júlia Tena, Mariana Gutiérrez-Zamora Navarro, Aeve Ribbons.