Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen is the director of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict program at the U.S. Institute of Peace and frequently presents and publishes in a variety of academic, policy, and media forums on policy and civil society efforts related to the conflict. She has previously worked with the U.S. Department of State as an Arabic language specialist and as the program officer for the Kennedy School of Government’s Middle East Initiative at Harvard University, where she managed work on the Israeli, Palestinian, and Saudi Arabian portfolios. 

Proficient in Hebrew and Arabic, Kurtzer-Ellenbogen's graduate research focused on political and social identity in Arabic discourse, with an emphasis on the Arabic language press of the Arab citizen community in Israel. She holds a bachelor's degree in Arabic and French from Georgetown University and a master's degree from Georgetown's Arabic department with a dual concentration in linguistics and Arab area studies.