Laurie Anderson
Executive Director, SFU Vancouver

Dr. Laurie Anderson, Executive Director of SFU Vancouver, is an associate member of SFU's Faculty of Education and an Associate of SFU's Centre for Dialogue.

With deep roots in public education in Vancouver, from classroom teacher to interim superintendent, Laurie’s experience includes serving as a consultant on education reform with the BC Ministry of Education; as an adjunct professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC; a curriculum developer and instructor for Vancouver Community College; a facilitator of the VSB's Leadership Development Program; and a developer and facilitator of the VSB's popular Instructor Training Program, a course taken by more than 2,500 aspiring teachers of adults over the past 25 years. Laurie was a director of Canadian Bureau of International Education for six years, is an inspector of international schools in Asia, and has served as an education reform consultant to governments in Hong Kong, Cambodia, Thailand and various cities in China. Locally, Laurie has facilitated dozens of planning and visioning sessions across Metro Vancouver, and has presented at Hollyhock and the Haven. Laurie received his BEd, MA and PhD at Simon Fraser University.

Shauna Sylvester
Director, SFU Centre for Dialogue

Shauna Sylvester has been engaging the world for more than 25 years through her groundbreaking work in local, national and global communities. Shauna is the Director of the SFU Centre for Dialogue, Executive Director of SFU Public Square and Founding Executive Director of Carbon Talks, a national initiative to accelerate Canada’s shift to a low-carbon economy.

A Founding Director of Canada’s World, the most comprehensive citizen’s consultation on Canadian foreign policy in history, Shauna has done extensive work to strengthen democracy and support media development in conflict zones around the world by founding the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS). She has served on the boards of Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancity Credit Union, VancityCapital, the Voluntary Sector Initiative, and the BC Assessment Authority. In 2005, she received an Outstanding Alumni Award from SFU for community service from SFU.

Mark L. Winston
Professor and Fellow

Mark L. Winston has had a distinguished career researching, teaching, writing and commenting on bees and agriculture, environmental issues, and science policy. More recently, he has utilized dialogue in classrooms, corporations, non-profit organizations, government, and community settings to develop leadership and communication skills, conduct strategic planning, inspire organizational change, and thoughtfully engage public audiences with controversial issues. Winston's work has appeared in numerous books, commentary columns for the Vancouver Sun, The New York Times, The Sciences, Orion magazine, and frequently on CBC radio and television and National Public Radio. His research, communication, and dialogue achievements have been recognized by many awards, including the Manning Award for Innovation, Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy, British Columbia Gold Medal in Science and Engineering, Academic of the Year, Eve Savory Award for Science Communication, Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion, a prestigious Killam Fellowship from the Canada Council, and election as a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Winston is a Professor of Biological Sciences and was the Founding Director of the Semester in Dialogue (2002-2014) and the Centre for Dialogue (2006-2014).