Ayan Absiye [she/her]

Rise on Boards+ | Cohort 3

Ayan Absiye is a policy professional and advocate committed to inclusive, community-centered policymaking. She currently works within the Ontario Public Service in the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, where she supports strategic policy development on issues that impact vulnerable communities. A recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a degree in Political Science and minor in African Studies, her work spans both government and NGO sectors.

She has served in the Prime Minister’s Office and the office of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality. As an 1834 Fellow with Operation Black Vote Canada, she conducted research on housing barriers faced by Black refugees. Ayan also contributed to the ONE Campaign’s successful advocacy for Canada’s investment in the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria. Internationally, she presented research on systemic discrimination and access to justice at the UN’s Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in Geneva. Ayan is the former President of the African Studies Course Union and a recipient of the Black Excellence Award at the University of Toronto. Her goal is to ensure minority voices are not only heard but drive policy and governance at all levels.