Aftab Erfan

Dr. Aftab Erfan (she|her) is the Executive Director of the Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue and teaches at SFU's School of Public Policy. Previously, she served as the City of Vancouver’s Chief Equity Officer, and as Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in Community and Regional Planning and is a scholar-practitioner whose writing and practice focus on the possibilities of a more dialogic and collaborative world, and on the significance of minority voices to democratic processes. Aftab has extensive experience as a process designer and facilitator, specializing in working with conflict within the public and private sectors. Her experience spans 15 years and five continents. She holds numerous honors and awards including the BC500 Most Influential Business Leaders in British Columbia, Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Storytellers Challenge, and Association of European Schools of Planning's Best Published Paper Award Shortlist. She lives in Vancouver, Canada and is cautiously optimistic about the future of humanity.