Speakers Bureau

APN offers expert speakers on the variety of issues we address. To book one of the following speakers, please send us an email at apndc@peacenow.org (for campus events: apnoncampus@peacenow.org) or call us at (202) 408-9898.

Debra DeLee
Former President and CEO

Since joining APN in April 1997, Debra DeLee has worked tirelessly to promote American support for peace in the Middle East. Debra has traveled to the Middle East on numerous occasions on behalf of APN and discussed peace process issues with various Israeli and Arab leaders, including heads of state. Prior to joining APN, Debra was selected by President Clinton to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the 1996 Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago. In 1993, she served as Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and was appointed DNC Chair by President Clinton in November 1994. Preceding this, Debra served as the Director of Government Relations for the National Education Association, serving as its Chief Lobbyist and the Director of the NEA Political Action Committee, the third largest political action committee in the country at that time. Debra also served as the Special Assistant to former Senator Bob Graham during his first term as Florida Governor in the late 1970's.

Debra Shushan
Director of Policy and Government Relations

Debra Shushan is a seasoned expert on the Middle East. She comes to us from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where she specialized in the politics of the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an Assistant Professor of Government and a member of W&M’s interdisciplinary faculties in International Relations and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
Previously, Debra held a research fellowship at the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University’s Qatar campus. Debra’s research and language studies have taken her to much of the Middle East: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, and UAE, in addition to Israel and Palestine. Dr. Shushan is a former Marshall Scholar, Truman Scholar, and Yale World Fellow, and served on the advisory board of the Yale World Fellows Program. She is a graduate of Harvard University (BA), Oxford University (MPhil) and Yale University (PhD).

Ori Nir
Director of Communications and Public Engagement

Ori Nir became the spokesman of Americans for Peace Now following a 24-year career in journalism, which was mainly focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Ori covered Palestinian affairs for Ha'aretz Daily, Israel's leading newspaper (1986-1990; 1994-1996) during the early years of the first intifada and through the implementation of the first phases of the Oslo Accords. Later, he covered Israel's Arab minority for Ha'aretz, (2000 to July 2002). Ori also covered the diplomatic efforts to advance Arab-Israeli peace. As the Washington correspondent of Ha'aretz (1990-1994) and of The Forward, America's largest and most influential independent national Jewish weekly newspaper, he focused on US Mideast policy. Ori earned a Master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where he also taught journalism (1997-2000). His Bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern history and Arabic literature is from Jerusalem's Hebrew University. Ori is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic.