Resident Director & On-Site Staff

Riley Merline - Resident Director

Riley Merline is the Resident Director of the Border Studies Program.

Riley joined the program in 2008 and served for a semester as the Associate Director before taking his post as the RD. Riley holds a Masters in Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona where he focused on U.S. intervention, Latin American revolutions & counterrevolutions, development, and international political economy. As a graduate student Riley also conducted research on the history of U.S.-Mexico border fence construction and immigration policy. Originally from Wisconsin, he holds a B.A. in Spanish from Northern Michigan University and has lived in Tucson, Arizona since late 2005.

Riley’s interest in the intertwined histories of the United States and Latin America extends back to his year abroad in 1999-2000 when he studied for a semester in Valdivia, Chile and spent several months traveling through the Andean countries from the south of Patagonia to Bolivia and Peru. Since then he has spent several years studying and educating North Americans about key issues in U.S.-Latin American relations. For more than two years Riley worked on the Witness for Peace International Team in Colombia leading educational delegations and investigating the effects of Plan Colombia’s military aid and anti-narcotics programs on human rights and development efforts. After moving to Tucson, he worked for BorderLinks leading experiential education seminars along the U.S.-Mexico border with a focus on migration and immigration policy, free trade, international debt, cross border economies, labor issues, and human rights.

In addition to his work with Witness for Peace and BorderLinks, Riley worked as the research assistant on the Colombia Documentation Project at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C., participated in delegations to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, traveled to Puerto Rico to research issues of gentrification in Vieques, and taught English in Berlin, Germany.

Whenever possible, Riley escapes the city to explore the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert, to rock climb, or just to watch the sunset. He plays ultimate Frisbee, enjoys independent and foreign films, loves books, and is committed to building more just and equitable societies across all borders.

El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez On-Site Staff

Sra. Cristina Sanchez is the Housing Coordinator for the families in Ciudad Juárez. She is also a host mother who has worked with the program since it began. Cristina is a native of Ciudad Juárez but has also lived in many areas of the world including Barcelona, Mexico City, and San Francisco. In addition to working with the families, Cristina is instrumental in planning many of the orientation activities as well as program activities throughout the fall semester when it is in Juárez. Students should feel free to ask Cristina questions, talk to her about any concerns, or to contact her at any time. Cristina lives in Ciudad Juárez. Her daughter Titi also lives in Juárez, and she graduated from UTEP.

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