Julia Wagner
Interim Executive Director | Institute of Global Homelessness
Pronouns: she/her
Julia leads IGH’s work on the Vanguard Program, International Mayors Council on Homelessness, and Global Homelessness Data Map. She has more than a decade of experience in program design, building partnerships for systems change, and collecting inclusive data working across the fields of international public health, education, and homelessness.
Prior to joining IGH, Julia served as a Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Advisor for the AIDSFree Project, where she worked with teams from 13 countries to track and improve outcomes. She has also worked in Namibia and South Africa on projects focused on empowering youth, forming continuum of care networks, and engaging civil society organizations. Her experience includes creating data management systems, building dashboards and tools to make data more accessible for decision making, and providing technical assistance to field-based partners.
Julia holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tiffany Connolly
Program Coordinator | Institute of Global Homelessness
Pronouns: she/her
Tiffany is the Program Coordinator at the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH). She is passionate about progression, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. Through her work, she supports IGH’s efforts to achieve individual and team goals; organize and facilitate collaborations, projects, and convenings; and curate and share useful information, tools, and resources on homelessness and intersectionality. She also supports IGH’s effort to achieve its diversity, equity, and inclusion mission.
Tiffany holds a B.A. in Psychology from DePaul University and is pursuing continuing education in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Yamitza Yuivar Villarreal
Vanguard Program Associate | Institute of Global Homelessness
Pronouns: she/her
Yamitza is the Vanguard Program Associate at the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH). She has worked as a researcher and teaching assistant at higher education institutions and as a journalist and community manager in social organizations. Yamitza also has experience assisting research projects and facilitating programs on education, communication, and social issues. Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, Yamitza advocates for a more equitable society that respects all cultures and believes in people.
Yamitza holds a MED in Education, Culture, and Society from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Universidad de Chile. She aspires to pursue a PhD in public policy in the future.
Leah Gonzalez
Student Coordinator | Institute of Global Homelessness
Pronouns: she/her
Leah Gonzalez is the Student Coordinator at the Institute of Global Homelessness, where she works with the DePaul University Business Council on Homelessness. She is also the President and Co-founder of Hope for the Homeless, a student-led organization at DePaul University. Born and raised in Chicago, Leah is passionate about social activism and community development.
She is currently pursuing a B.A. in Sociology at DePaul University.
River Smith
Research Assistant | Institute of Global Homelessness
Pronouns: any/all
River is a research assistant at the Institute of Global Homelessness. They are originally from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and currently live in Chicago. River’s background is in psychology and mental health. He’s worked in direct service, designing and running psychosocial programming for adults living with mental illnesses. He’s also done psychological research on moral perceptions of criminality, and is committed to bringing a social justice focus to his mental health work.