AVI MELAMED is a former Israeli intelligence official, senior official on Arab Affairs, and served as the Salisbury Fellow of Intelligence and Middle East Affairs at the Eisenhower Institute in Washington, DC. He is an expert on current affairs in the Arab and Muslim world and their impact on the Middle East and Israel's geopolitical environment. In his public service, Avi has held high-risk government, senior advisory, and counter-terrorist intelligence positions.

Avi is the founder of Inside the Middle East Intelligence Perspectives (ITME). ITME is a distinct empowering educational program that provides an apolitical non-partisan education about the contemporary Middle East and uses intelligence methodology to teach critical thinking and media literacy.

Avi has coauthored Separate and Unequal: Israel's Rule in East Jerusalem and wrote Ubrusi: The Novel. His last book, Inside the Middle East: Making Sense of the Most Dangerous and Complicated Region on Earth, is a GPS to help navigate the dramatically changing Middle East.

MAIA HOFFMAN earned her BA in Islamic and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and her MA in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. She graduated with honors from both institutions. Today, Maia is the Chief Operating Officer of Inside the Middle East Intelligence Perspectives (ITME). Maia's distinct professional background affords her international access to create bespoke, impactful, interactive educational encounters and experiences in Israel and throughout the Middle East.