Ivonne Smith-Tapia joined JFCS as Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services in July 2021. She holds master’s degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Social Work with a certificate in Human Services Management. Ivonne worked for more than a decade with the Colombian government, international NGOs and think tanks promoting community development, education, human rights, and leadership in diverse rural and urban communities in Colombia. She moved to Pittsburgh in 2013. While in Pittsburgh, she has worked with the University Of Pittsburgh School of Education designing and implementing projects aimed to elevate the voices of people who have been failed by systems and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh leading programming on global issues. Ivonne has a passion for exploring cultures and ways in which culture influences our behaviors and interactions in private and public spaces. This passion has driven her to share her knowledge with local organizations on the importance of cultural diversity and to create positive and productive connections with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
