Aftab Erfan

Aftab Erfan (she|her) is a scholar-practitioner, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and Associate Member at SFU School of Public Policy. Previously, she was the inaugural Chief Equity Officer at the City of Vancouver, and Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement at University of British Columbia (UBC). Aftab holds a PhD in planning from UBC, a Masters in planning from McGill University, and a BSc in environmental sciences from UBC. She has extensive experience as a process designer and facilitator, specializing in hosting dialogues on contentious issues with warmth and creativity. Her experience spans 15 years and five continents. Aftab holds numerous honours, including BC500: most influential business leaders in British Columbia (Business in Vancouver), Research for a Better Life: The Storytellers Challenge (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), and Best Published Paper Award Shortlist (Association of European Schools of Planning). She is a board member of the Vancouver Foundation, a mother of two boys, and an insatiable reader.