About us

The Global Institute on Innovation Districts is a global-reaching not for profit organization dedicated to conducting independent and practice-oriented research on innovation districts—new geographies of innovation emerging primarily in cities and urbanizing areas. Drawing on deep analytics and proven impact, The Global Institute seeks to identify how districts transform into new engines of city and regional economic growth. During a time of uneven growth, our research and work with a global network of districts aims to identify new systems for advancing inclusive innovation.

The Global Institute is comprised of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working together to help shape the broader research and impact agenda.

STEERING COMMITTEE FOUNDING PARTNERS PARTNERS FINANCIAL INFORMATION

President and Founder, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Julie is president and founder of The Global Institute on Innovation Districts, where she leads efforts to drive cutting-edge research, manage a global network of innovation districts, and provide detailed evidence-based strategies to advance the practice. She also serves as president of Urban Insight, a boutique consulting practice dedicated to advancement of innovation districts. She is a prolific urban researcher and is co-author of the papers “The rise of innovation districts: A new geography of innovation in America” and “The evolution of innovation districts: The new geography of global innovation.”

Julie has over 25 years of experience advancing cities and urban areas. She is a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, an independent think tank based in Washington, D.C., where she designed and led numerous global research initiatives, including the Bass Initiative for Innovation and Placemaking. She is also a visiting scholar for the Esade Business School’s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics. Julie has co-authored several papers on the changing role of innovation and place, including “Innovation spaces: The new design of work” and “Advancing a new wave of economic competitiveness: The role of mayors in the rise of innovation districts.”

Living in Europe, she continues to help advance the competitiveness of cities and regions globally, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Milan, Silicon Valley, Sheffield, Sydney, and Turin. Julie is supporting the development of innovation districts in cities across Israel in her capacity as strategic advisor to Israel’s National Economic Council.

A trained city planner, Julie served as a deputy planning director for the District of Columbia, where she developed the city’s long-range plan. She earned a master’s degree in city planning from MIT and holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Northeastern University. Julie has received several planning awards from MIT and the American Planning Association for her work.

Board Member, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Bruce is a member of the board at The Global Institute. He is director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University in Philadelphia, which aims to deepen and accelerate the burgeoning field of metro finance. He is also co-founder of New Localism Advisors, which helps cities design, finance, and deliver transformative initiatives that promote inclusive and sustainable growth.

Bruce was the Centennial Scholar at The Brookings Institution from January 2016 to March 2018, where he focused on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization. He assumed this role after 20 years at Brookings, where he founded the Metropolitan Policy Program. Bruce is a prolific, globally renowned author and opinion-shaper in the field of urban and metropolitan growth and redevelopment. He is co-author of two papers on innovation districts: “The rise of innovation districts: A new geography of innovation in America” and “The evolution of innovation districts: The new geography of global innovation.”

Before joining Brookings, Bruce served as chief of staff to U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros and was senior counsel and then staff director for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs. Bruce is co-author of The new localism: How cities can thrive in the age of populism and The metropolitan revolution: How cities and metros are fixing our broken politics and fragile economy. He is a graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School.

Board Chair, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Tom is board chair at The Global Institute. He is employed by Wexford Science + Technology as senior vice president for innovation and economic development. In this role, he guides Wexford’s implementation of its Knowledge Community strategy across its stakeholders globally to position Wexford’s research park developments as critical hubs in the regional innovation ecosystem. As part of The Global Institute, he was co-author of the recent paper “The evolution of innovation districts: The new geography of global innovation.”

Tom is an engaging speaker who has recently delivered keynote addresses at the Association of University Research Parks, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Research Administration, and the NATO Industry Summit. In his remarks, he discussed creating innovation ecosystems, as well as helping universities, research institutions, cities, regions, and federal governments leverage their research and technologies into knowledge-led economic development.

Additionally, Tom is an innovation advisor to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – Canada, helping Canadian companies expand their operations into the United States and assisting U.S. companies in developing Canadian partnerships and markets. He also serves as an advisor to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on global innovation.

Previously, Tom served as executive vice president and chief of staff at Broadwing Inc., an NYSE-listed telecommunications company, providing executive leadership in the areas of corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation. Before that, he served as special assistant to United States Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), providing advice on foreign policy issues. Tom also provided policy advice to the Reagan administration and developed a research methodology that has become a standard at Congressional Quarterly magazine.

Vice President, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Pamela is vice president and treasurer at The Global Institute, where she manages GIID’s strategic partnerships with organizations and funders. She also leads a civic consultancy advancing forward-looking models for inclusive growth, innovation, and city-to-city collaboration. Working in the United States and internationally, she has designed and implemented numerous high-profile and high-impact initiatives for urban resilience, economic and community development, and competitiveness. Her work helps cities and communities persevere and prosper in the face of a growing list of threats linked to climate change, economic instability, and inequality.

Previously, Pamela served as executive director of The American Assembly at Columbia University in New York, where she incubated pioneering work on America’s middle neighborhoods. She was also part of the founding team for Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, where she led the effort to develop resilience strategies through community-based approaches and public-private-civic partnerships. She launched the Global Cities Initiative at The Brookings Institution to help American metro regions pivot their economies toward increased engagement in world markets. Earlier in her career, Pamela played an instrumental role in establishing LSE Cities and managing the Urban Age program at the London School of Economics. She also created and managed the American Institute of Architects’ Center for Architecture in New York City.

Other projects include the Africa Center in New York and the Resilient Communities program at New America, where she was a senior fellow. Pamela was also a nonresident senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at The Brookings Institution. She has written for numerous publications and was assistant editor of The endless city, which was cited as best innovation and design book by Business Week. She was a producer for the documentary film Urbanized. In addition to a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University, Pamela holds degrees in economics and literature (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Maryland.

Board Secretary, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Carrie is board secretary of The Global Institute. She serves as chief growth office at the Greater Washington Partnership, where she advances the Partnership’s position with relevant constituents and drives broader awareness and support for the organization’s initiatives.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Carrie was senior vice president for development at the Atlantic Council, where she oversaw day-to-day development operations and provided strategic guidance on issues relevant to the Council’s overall direction. Carrie is a development professional with more than 20 years of experience with some of Washington’s leading policy and advocacy organizations. She brings more than two decades of recognized experience in strategic fundraising from corporations, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals. Carrie has extensive development experience, with work ranging from development directorships to external affairs to political fundraising. She spent more than 10 years at The Brookings Institution, where she most recently served as the deputy director and external affairs officer for the Metropolitan Policy Program, helping to build the program, provide strategic direction, and manage operations. She has also held directorships at the American Cancer Society Foundation and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.

Carrie earned a bachelor’s degree, with a major in political science, from the University of Mary Washington, and she attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program in state and local leadership.

Deputy Director of Research, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Chad is deputy director of research with The Global Institute. In a previous role, he was research associate and senior project manager at The Brookings Institution. In that position, he drove the development of research and policy projects on economic competitiveness, labor market dynamics, and the changing geography of jobs in cities. He is the founder and principal of Denizens, a consulting firm that provides research and advice on economic policy issues.

Chad has extensive experience helping governments, civic groups, and research organizations design policies and programs that increase economic competitiveness and opportunity. During his 10 years at The Brookings Institution, he advised leaders in dozens of cities and metropolitan regions. From 2015 to 2018, he led a research initiative at Brookings focused on improving labor market opportunity and access that resulted in impactful policy projects and reports in Riverside, Calif., Indianapolis, Ind., New Orleans, La., Detroit, Mich., and the state of Michigan. He worked with leaders in Kansas City, Mo., Louisville, Ky., and Newark, N.J., to develop strategies to improve the competitiveness of local advanced industries. Chad has also published numerous reports on economic dynamics and trends, including a 2019 Brookings report exploring the increasing density and proximity of jobs in the advanced industries that underpin innovation districts, as well as a series of quarterly and annual reports tracking the economic performance of U.S. cities.

Chad holds dual bachelor’s degrees, in economics and urban planning and design, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is currently based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Research Associate, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Laura is research associate for The Global Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in urban regeneration and economic development, and her research interests focus on the quality of life in cities and metro areas in the innovation economy.

Laura conducted deep research on emerging innovation districts as a graduate student in Boston. Her dissertation analyzed the potential of innovation districts in driving sustainable and inclusive outcomes, in enabling communities to achieve their economic potential, and in creating social justice and equality of opportunity over the long term.

Laura has contributed to international research projects, working with universities in the United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom. She has acquired a thorough knowledge of innovation districts globally, focusing especially on the life cycle and socio-economic impact of innovation-oriented urban policies implemented in Boston and San Diego. She comes to The Global Institute with a strong understanding of European policies on innovation. Since 2016, Laura has investigated how Smart Specialization Strategies (S3) aim to boost regional innovation, contributing to growth and prosperity by helping enable regions to focus on their strengths and their own competitive advantages.

For The Global Institute, Laura has been busy researching national policies globally and their impact on innovation districts. She has also evaluated the research strengths of a range of universities in Australia, Israel, and Europe. In the future, she will be playing a pivotal role in the analysis of innovation districts globally—to help better define and measure their advancement.

Network Manager, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Claudia is network manager with The Global Institute, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of its global network of innovation districts. Previously, she worked at Oxfam where she designed and managed a global network of more than 1,000 practitioners to catalyze positive impact of Oxfam’s economic development programs on women and other marginalised groups. Claudia also worked at CARE, implementing a global knowledge sharing system and leading strategic initiatives. In this capacity, she developed a US$1 million Innovation Fund to scale specific innovations and led the implementation of an organizational performance system aimed to improve program effectiveness in Latin America. She also worked at MIT’s Community Innovators Lab, developing innovative methods for promoting learning, reflection and innovation within groups.

Claudia is a trained city planner, with experience working for local and national government agencies, international finance institutions, academia, and international non-profit organizations. She has a master’s degree in city planning from MIT and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Claudia has received awards from MIT, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and The SEEP Network for her work.

Communications and Project Manager, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Igor is communications and project manager for The Global Institute. His work on innovation districts began at The Brookings Institution, where he helped advance the work of the Bass Initiative for Innovation and Placemaking. Before Brookings, he worked in a Swiss research institute, where he was assigned to several government-led projects of the Swiss Confederation. He holds a degree in communication sciences from the University of Lugano and is certified by the Swiss branch of the International Project Management Association. His passion for new technologies and digital communication are at the heart of his mission at The Global Institute. Igor speaks Italian and Russian.

STRATEGIC ADVISORS

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

For 25 years, Dennis has been a practitioner creating innovation communities that position regions to be competitive in the national and global technology economy. He has headed development of three US technology districts, all with multi-stakeholder sponsors that include universities, corporations, start-ups, business and community organizations, and government representatives.

Before stepping down in May 2020, he was the President and CEO of the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis for ten years. The 200-acre initiative involved transforming a tired largely abandoned industrial zone into a nationally and globally recognized innovation district that is now home to over 400 companies. During his Cortex tenure, Dennis was responsible for nearly three million square feet of completed and under construction development that supports over 8,500 direct and indirect jobs that annually generate over $2 billion of regional economic output.

Dennis now leads Innovation Community Strategies to assist regions in their pursuit of technology-based development strategies that create vibrant entrepreneurial economies. He focuses on all aspects of developing, managing, and sustaining knowledge-based innovation districts, both in the US and internationally. He also serves as Strategic Advisor to The Global Institute on Innovation Districts to support a network of established and emerging innovation districts. He continues to serve on the boards of community nonprofits and has been recognized for his commitment to inclusive community development.

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Filippo is a strategic advisor to The Global Institute. He is co-founding partner and CEO of PlusValue Advisory Ltd, a London-based research and consulting group that provides social impact investment solutions to align private and public interests. Over the past 15 years, Filippo has been working on an inclusive idea of socio-economic renewal, leveraging the power of networks, open innovation, diffused entrepreneurship, and sustainable finance. He is involved in both programs and projects related to institutional innovation, where his main research focus is on the evolution of complex social systems.

Currently Filippo’s most prominent project is the creation of an impact investing fund specializing in urban transformation, in partnership with Lendlease, the Australian developer operating worldwide. For the past 15 years he has served as an independent strategic adviser to the European Commission (EC) and the UK government, as well as to multinationals and philanthropic foundations.

Filippo holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Bologna and a master’s degree in urban sustainability and resilience from University College London (UCL). He is pursuing his Ph.D. at the Institute of Finance and Technology at UCL.

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Fiorenza is a strategic advisor to The Global Institute. She is co-founding partner and director of research at PlusValue Advisory Ltd. Her research fields of specialization are impact investing, impact assessment, urban regeneration, EU RDI programs and policies, and participatory research.

Fiorenza has extensive experience in urban regeneration projects in Italy and in the UK, specifically public-private partnerships. She leads the work on ecosystem analysis, managing a broad network of stakeholders and intermediary organizations, as well as developing the business model and specifically the financial models.

Before joining PlusValue, Fiorenza worked for The Young Foundation as EU policy senior analyst. She had been a policy analyst in Bruxelles for Intesa San Paolo for the previous four years, and in 2010 she served as a policy analyst for Atomium Culture. Today, she is regularly consulted by the European Commission on innovation (social and technological) and socio-economic development. Fiorenza is a research fellow at UCL’s Institute of Finance and Technology.

She holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and is the author of numerous articles, reports, and books. Her track record of relevant publications includes “Impact investing innovation: Bringing together public, private and third sectors to create greater value: The case of the public private partnership initiative for the new public hospital of Treviso,” in Social Impact Investing: Beyond the Social Impact Bonds, Palgrave, 2018 (Addarii, Lipparini, Medda); and “Vision and trends of social innovation for Europe,” in DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, 2017 (Addarii, Lipparini).”

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Miquel is a strategic advisor to The Global Institute. He is director of Masters in Business Innovation at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. For over 30 years, he has participated in the definition, implementation, and execution of policies and both public and private projects in the fields of innovation, R&D, technology transfer, clusters, innovative urban development, industry, and quality.

In the past, Miquel has served as general director and president at the TEC Foundation (2007–2011); as a member of the Abertis Telecom Council (2004–2011); as executive president at 22@ Barcelona (2004–2007); as an independent member of the Parlament de Catalunya (1999–2003), where he presided over the Industry and Energy Commission; as general director at the Instituto Catalán de Tecnología (1987–1999); as general subdirector of industrial safety, technical norms, and regulations at the Ministry of Industry and Energy (1985–1987); as founding president of the Red Española de Laboratorios de Ensayo (RELE); and as a founding member of AENOR (Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación).

Miquel holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering conferred by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), and he has earned undergraduate degrees in economic sciences from the Universidad de Barcelona (UB) and in social sciences from ICESB (UB).

STEERING COMMITTEE

The Global Institute has established a Steering Committee comprised of its leadership team, Founding Partners, and the heads of innovation districts around the world. The Steering Committee is charged with shaping the overall agenda of The Global Institute and ensuring research, network, and other activities meaningfully advance the paradigm and practice of innovation districts.

Steering Committee members include:

Representing The Global Institute Leadership

Julie Wagner, President, The Global Institute on Innovation District. Julie is driving the overall strategy and day-to-day activities of the Steering Committee, including recruitment, all work outputs, and research components.

Carrie Kolasky, Chief Growth Officer, Greater Washington Partnership.

Tom Osha, Intellectual advisor of emerging innovation ecosystems in the U.S., Senior Vice President, Innovation and Economic Development, Wexford Science + Technology.

Pamela Puchalski, Vice President, The Global Institute on Innovation Districts. Pamela manages GIID’s strategic partnerships with organizations and funders.

Representing the Founding Partners

Wilkingson (Will) Germain, Senior Investment Officer, Ventas.

Bruce Katz, Director, Nowak Metro Finance Lab at the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, Drexel University.

Sam Okeby, Managing Director Development Asia, Lendlease.

Representing Innovation Districts

Amsterdam: Marcel van Heemert, Programmamanager Campusontwikkeling, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Knowledge Quarter Zuidas.

Be’er Sheva: Prof. Dan Blumberg, Vice President for Regional and Industrial Development, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva Innovation District.

Buffalo: Matt Enstice, President and CEO, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Medellín: María Paulina Villa Posada, Gerente, Distrito de Innovación de Medellín.

Melbourne: Julie Wells, Vice-Principal (Strategy and Culture), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Innovation Districts, City North.

Pittsburgh: Sean Luther, Executive Director, InnovatePGH, Pittsburgh Innovation District.

Sheffield: Diana Buckley, Head of Economic Strategy and Commissioning – Economic Development, Sheffield City Council, Senior Responsible Officer, Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District.

St. Louis: Sam Fiorello, President & CEO, Cortex Innovation Community.

Winston-Salem: Graydon Pleasants, Head of Real Estate Development, Innovation Quarter.

FOUNDING PARTNERS

Founding Partners are companies, institutions, universities, and foundations that are making significant multi-year contributions to develop and advance The Global Institute on Innovation Districts.

Current Founding Partners of The Global Institute include:

Lendlease, a global property and infrastructure group
Ventas, a real estate investment trust

Additional Founding Partners and Supporters are actively being recruited to support efforts of The Global Institute on Innovation Districts.

Partners

The Global Institute is partnering with The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program. The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington DC, published an influential and ground-breaking research brief on innovation districts in 2014. The piece, “The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America” was co-authored by Bruce Katz and Julie Wagner and seeded creation of The Global Institute on Innovation Districts.

Financial information

Please see below for the most recent Internal Revenue Service tax filings for The Global Institute on Innovation Districts.

— Form 990, Fiscal Year 2020

— Form 990, Fiscal Year 2019

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President and Founder, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Board Member, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Board Chair, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Vice President, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Board Secretary, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Deputy Director of Research, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Research Associate, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Network Manager, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Communications and Project Manager, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

STRATEGIC ADVISORS

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Strategic Advisor, Global Institute on Innovation Districts

STEERING COMMITTEE

FOUNDING PARTNERS

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Financial information

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