He has been the Executive Director of Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus for the past 3 years. Having developed his community based research interests over that past 20 years, he continues to address social and civic issues such as refugee settlement, poverty, and crime reduction. Recently Steve was the Principal Investigator of Our Community, Our Voice, a study of the settlement needs of refugees coming to Surrey BC. The project was support by local settlement services provides, and 9 community youth refugee research assistants, all of whom were crucial to the implementation of the project. Steve co-chair's the City of Surrey's Poverty Reduction Coalition and sits on Surrey's Local Immigration Partnership (LIP).

Shaheen Nanji has extensive experience in international relations and partnership development. She has developed and led international development projects in education, public health and environment policy, as well as in community and public engagement.  She has worked in several countries in Africa and Asia. She holds an MA in International Studies with a focus on the role and potential of diaspora in international development. Shaheen is the Chair of the Board for Burnaby Family Life, co-Chair of the Burnaby Together: Coalition Against Racism and Hate, and a board member of the BC Council for International Cooperation.