CHUCK NATHANSON:
A Legacy of Binational Collaboration in the San Diego-Baja Region
(August 22, 1941 – June 5, 2003)

If the U.S.-México border region is to grow and prosper in the coming years, political and civic leaders on both sides of the border need to work together to collectively address a wide range of trans-boundary issues such as water, transportation, border security and issues of the environment and public health. Yet, diplomatic obstacles and traditional cultural, political and language barriers have made healthy binational dialogue a persistent challenge at the local and regional level.

Over the past decade, historic strides have been made in the San Diego-Baja California border region to increase the level of two-way dialogue and collabora-tion among binational civic leaders thanks to one individual: Dr. Charles “Chuck” Nathanson, a former ICF board member.

Through his clarity of vision, creativity, persistence and skillful diplomacy, the San Diego Dialogue was born, where people from both sides of the border can jointly discuss and define ways to promote an improved quality of life for this binational region.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Nathanson had an accomplished career as a journalist, professor and civic leader. Graduating with a B.A. in sociology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University, he had faculty positions at Brandeis, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Univer-sity of California, San Diego (UCSD). It was at UCSD that he spearheaded the establishment of the San Diego Dialogue.

Through his ongoing research and consensus building on cross-border issues, Chuck challenged U.S. and México decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels of government to look beyond man-made barriers and explore innovative solutions. Thanks to these efforts and the “Who Crosses the Border?” study that he led in the early 1990s, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) introduced its SENTRI program, streamlining inspections and reducing border delays along the San Diego-Tijuana border for thousands of regional commuters.

In honor of Chuck’s work at the San Diego Dialogue and in the border region, the Nathanson Family established the Chuck Nathanson Fund at ICF. Through this fund, Chuck’s friends and supporters will support an annual lecture series plus summer intern programs that will reflect Chuck’s vision – to promote best practices in fields such as smart growth, educa-tion, leadership development, cross-border research, partnerships and on-going dialogue. ICF is proud to honor Chuck’s spirit in this important way.