Julie Wagner
President and Founder
Julie spearheads the strategic direction of GIID, which aims to position districts as crucial engines of their regional economies while solving highly complex global challenges. She has both designed, and actively implemented a triad of interconnected activities to advance the practice. This includes undertaking novel research on districts, orchestrating an impact-focused Global Network, and advancing strategic support of individual districts.
Pamela Puchalski
Vice President
As Vice President and co-founder of the Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID), Pamela leads on strategy and partnerships to drive impact for the growing number of innovation geographies we engage with around the world.
Chad Shearer
Director of Research
Chad drives the analysis of the distinct research and development strengths of innovation districts and the role they play in broader innovation ecosystems.
Laura Biancuzzo
Senior Research Associate
Laura is a Senior Research Associate at The Global Institute, where she leads interdisciplinary research efforts focused on the intersection of place and innovation within innovation districts. She recently completed a two-year study analyzing 23 innovation districts, uncovering new patterns and hidden advantages. Her global research, which spans national policies and evaluations of research strengths in Australia, Israel, and Europe, highlights her diverse expertise and her ability to navigate the complexities of the global innovation ecosystem.
Igor Ozeran
Global Network Manager
Igor is global network manager for The Global Institute, where his role is to shape and drive the success of the Global Network program, facilitating the program’s expansion and fostering a collaborative community of practitioners in 48 innovation districts across 14 countries.
Linda Ciampoli
Director of Partnerships
Linda fosters enduring partnerships with GIID to accelerate the growth and evolution of innovation districts. She is cultivating partnerships for GIID’s bi-annual Global Summits to support the call to convene and engage district leaders, changemakers, and stakeholders and for the organization’s longer objectives to advance districts globally.
Jonah Klein-Collins
Research Assistant
Jonah is a research assistant at the Global Institute, where his role is to analyze the distinct research and development strengths of innovation districts. His work uses spatial and statistical analyses to pinpoint innovation districts’ most prominent industries and areas of study, contextualize strengths within a district’s surrounding geographies, and characterize innovation ecosystems.
Sandra Gomez
Communications Director, Global Summit
As Communications Director for the Global Summit, Sandra leads strategic planning, media partnerships, and brand positioning to maximize visibility across diverse audiences.
Camila Perez
Logistics, Global Summit
Camila is in charge of logistics for GIID’s first Global Summit, aiming to ensure flawless event execution and productive engagement with host partners.
Paola Caballero
Senior Program Manager, Global Summit
As the Senior Program Manager for the Global Summit, Paola oversees the planning and execution of major elements for the inaugural event in Monterrey, Mexico. Paola ensures seamless coordination and strategic alignment to deliver a successful summit in April 2025.