Our team and our work is structured based on our regional, topical, and industry knowledge. Together, we work to include these three types of support in every program we offer based on our mission and vision .
W. Y. Alice Chan, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Alice worked in and with large multinational corporations and non-profits, including the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), the Interfaith Youth core in the US, the Tony Blair Institute for Change, and the Religious Freedom Center in the US. These experiences and her teaching in schools, McGill University, and research on religious bullying, religious literacy, and religious discrimination inform her work at CCRL.
Sabrina Jafralie, Ph. D
Co-Founder, Director of Learning (K-12 and higher education)
Sabrina has led an impressive career as a secondary school teacher and a university course lecturer in her 19 years working in both United Kingdom and in Canada. Her research includes teacher education, curriculum design, religious literacy and purposeful dialogue. She received her Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Concordia University and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education from McGill University in 2017. In 2018, Jafralie received the certificate of achievement for the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Erin Reid, Ph.D.
Director of Learning (higher education and adult education), Regional Director (Alberta), Co-Founder
Erin is an educator-researcher whose interests lie in diversity, equity, and education. In particular, she is curious about how religious diversity intersects with other facets of identity, including language and LGBTQ2S+ identities. Her doctoral research at McGill University investigates the role of religious literacy as an educational aim in teacher education programs in Canada.
Sivane Hirsch, Ph.D.
Regional Director (Quebec), Subject Matter Expert (Intersection of ethnocultural, religious, and linguistic diversity)
Sivane Hirsch is a full Professor at the Department of Education at Laval University and the codirector of LEDIR, Laboratoire Éducation et Diversité en Region. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology and education and focuses her research and writings on the challenges of taking into account cultural and religious diversity in the educational system.
Crystena A. H. Parker-Shandal, Ph.D.
Subject Matter Expert (Peace education)
Crystena is an Associate Professor in Social Development Studies at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo. She holds Ph.D. and a Masters in Teaching from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and is an Ontario Certified Teacher, with specializations in teaching history and English.
Margie Patrick, Ph.D.
Subject Matter Expert (Inclusion of religion and worldview in school curriculum)
After teaching high school social studies for 12 years, Margie left secondary teaching to pursue a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo. She is now an Associate Professor in Education at The Kings’ University in Edmonton, AB, teaching courses in social studies education, curriculum planning, and classroom management.
Hicham Tiflati, Ph.D.
Subject Matter Expert (French speaking Muslim communities and identities, and research on violent extremism)
Hicham is a researcher and a practitioner who has been working with the Muslim community for over a decade. He is a humanities professor at John Abbott College and a chargé de cours at Bishops university. He has taught Arabic and Islamic studies for many years, and has been working closely with families and close friends of Canadians who joined ISIS.
Joseph Ching
IT Guy
Joseph is a Project Manager at an international media company, and has a background in Information Systems Security. He has traveled for work across rural and urban centres in Western Canada, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces. You may catch him turning potatoes into watts on a bike or a run, or petting random cats near you.