Melanie is a Jewish-American, Israeli advocate for peace, justice and reconciliation with nearly two decades of experience in the field. After her BA in Political Science, Middle East Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Melanie moved to Israel to work in a joint Palestinian-Israeli peace education program, and later became Director of Development for the veteran Israeli peace movement Peace Now. In Israel, Melanie built an alternative tour to the West Bank, bringing hundreds of Jewish-Americans to experience the effects of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and complicate the narratives of this conflict. Melanie earned her MA in Security and Diplomacy from Tel Aviv University’s Executive Leadership program. In 2016, Melanie joined the Anti-Defamation League becoming Deputy Director for the New York – New Jersey regional office. In her role there, she continued to build bridges, between Jewish-Muslim-Arab, Black, and Latin American communities across NY and NJ. After her tenure with ADL, Melanie joined the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest as Director of the Global Connections Department (Israel and Overseas Programs). Currently, Melanie works as a media, policy and strategy consultant, focusing on individuals and initiatives which practice principles of democracy, and seek to build an authentically shared society across political, social and religious divides. She remains particularly connected with Palestinians and Israelis who are part of building peace and reconciliation.