Naz Babaeipanah is a strategic leader in equity-informed organizational change and inclusive institutional governance. She serves as the Staff Representative to the Board of Governors at Simon Fraser University, bringing over a decade of experience across academic and administrative functions and a commitment to ensuring governance decisions reflect the lived realities of staff across roles, units, and campuses.

A long-standing member of the SFU community and a three-time graduate, Naz offers a system-level understanding of how institutional priorities translate into day-to-day operations, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and people-centered decision-making.

Naz currently serves as Director, Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion, where she leads cross-university initiatives that translate institutional priorities into operational practice. Her work includes advancing the Equity Compass, co-leading the institutional oversight of SFU’s Accessibility Plan, and supporting leadership on strategic, policy, and governance-related initiatives.

Previously, she held leadership roles across SFU, including Director EDI (Interim), Manager of Administration and Projects, and Manager of Student Engagement, leading teams through complex organizational challenges and strengthening institutional operations and student experience.

Naz holds an Executive Master of Business Administration, a Master of Educational Leadership, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from SFU. She graduated from the EMBA program with a 4.17 GPA, was recognized by her cohort as an Outstanding Citizen for her contributions to collective learning and community-building, and she is the recipient of the 2026 Dean’s Convocation Medal in recognition of academic excellence and leadership. Naz previously served on the Burnaby Board of Trade’s DEI Committee, supporting the integration of inclusive practices across the local business community.