ABOUT BRIDGE ACROSS BORDERS INC.
Bridge Across Borders is an educational nonprofit dedicated to creating meaningful connections across cultures through education, exchange, and collaboration.
Founded in 2024 in Tampa, Florida, with strong ties to France, the organization develops international educational experiences that bring together students, educators, professionals, institutions, and communities.
Our programs combine cross-cultural learning with professional and personal development, giving participants opportunities to build skills, broaden their perspectives, gain confidence, and form meaningful relationships across borders.
Our work began with culinary education, where a shared profession and a shared table became natural starting points for learning about another culture. The success of our first international program continues to shape our approach as Bridge Across Borders grows.
Our mission is to connect people, cultures, and communities through education, exchange, and collaboration.
Meet the team
Our Board of Directors provides strategic guidance, oversight, and stewardship to help Bridge Across Borders fulfill its educational and charitable mission.
Board members bring a range of professional, educational, financial, community, and international perspectives to the organization. Together, they help ensure that our programs remain mission-driven, responsibly managed, and focused on creating meaningful educational and cross-cultural experiences.
Their shared commitment supports our mission to connect people, cultures, and communities through education, exchange, and collaboration.
Jennifer Meksraitis
Treasurer
Marian Getz
Vice President
Peggy Labat
Founder, President & Executive Director
OUR
STORY
Bridge Across Borders began with a simple idea: bringing people from different cultures together through shared learning and professional experiences.
What started through personal connections between France and the United States quickly developed into a collaborative project. Educators, culinary professionals, community members, and supporters came together around a shared belief that international experiences can offer powerful opportunities for learning, discovery, and human connection.
Within six months, that idea became a reality with our first international culinary education program.
Food and the culinary arts provided a natural starting point. Through a shared profession, participants could learn from one another, discover another culture, develop skills and confidence, and build relationships that extended beyond the program itself.
That first experience became the foundation for Bridge Across Borders, Inc. and for a broader vision of what the organization could create.
Today, our mission extends beyond any single profession or program:
to connect people, cultures, and communities through education, exchange, and collaboration.
Our story started with culinary education and a connection between France and the United States. It continues with the belief that meaningful international experiences can open minds, strengthen skills, and create connections that last.
OUR MISSION
To connect people, cultures, and communities
through education, exchange, and collaboration.
Bridge Across Borders creates meaningful international learning experiences that bring together students, educators, professionals, institutions, and communities across cultures.
Through educational exchange, professional learning, and intercultural experiences, we aim to help participants develop skills, build confidence, broaden their perspectives, and strengthen cross-cultural understanding.
Our work began with culinary education, but our mission extends beyond any single field. We believe that learning with and from people from different cultures can create opportunities for personal and professional growth while building meaningful connections across borders.
OUR ORGANIZATION & LEGAL INFORMATION
Bridge Across Borders, Inc. | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization | EIN 99-2420004
Registered in the State of Florida, United States
Official Website: www.bridgeacrossborders.com
This website is the official online platform of Bridge Across Borders, Inc. and is managed and operated by the organization.