Featured Speakers
William R. Deere, Director, Washington Office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
William R. Deere is Director of the Washington, DC office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Bill is part of a team clarifying to U.S. policymakers the agency’s mission, programs, and challenges. Prior to joining UNRWA in 2018, Bill served in the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Senate Affairs under Colin Powell, and as a senior executive at major business trade and membership organizations.
Merissa Khurma, Director, Middle East Program, Wilson Center
Merissa Khurma is the program director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center and previously was a non-resident fellow at the New America Foundation. She has led projects in the Middle East that focused on economic development, the Syrian refugee crisis, education, youth, gender development, and governance. Khurma also served as director of the Office of Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and director of the Information Bureau at the Embassy of Jordan in Washington.
Andrew Hyde, Director and Senior Fellow Multilateral Financial Diplomacy, Powering Peace, Stimson Center
Andrew Hyde is a Director and Senior Fellow of the Multilateral Financial Diplomacy and Powering Peace programs at the Stimson Center. His areas of expertise are diplomatic engagement, national security, multilateral organizations, governance and climate security. Prior to coming to Stimson, Andrew served 28 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. During his diplomatic tenure, Andrew worked extensively on multilateral diplomacy at the global and regional levels.
Moderator
Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow, Middle East & North Africa, Stimson Center