Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen is a senior fellow with the Middle East Institute. Prior to joining MEI, she served at the U.S. Institute of Peace for 15 years where she directed its work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. An expert in US diplomatic history in the Middle East, regional conflict dynamics, and civil society peacebuilding efforts, Lucy is a frequent presenter, author and facilitator in a variety of academic, policy, media and dialogue forums. She has worked with the Department of State as an Arabic translator and as a program officer for the Kennedy School of Government's Middle East Initiative at Harvard University.