Joe Lurie
Joe Lurie has spent most of his adult life interacting and engaging with other cultures and promoting cross-cultural understanding. As a young man, he served in the US Peace Corps in Kenya, which began his life of “intercultural encounters.” For 20 years, Lurie was executive director of the University of California’s International House whose mission is to “foster intercultural respect and understanding for the promotion of a more peaceful world.” Since retiring, Lurie has been a teacher, intercultural trainer, and consultant. His most recent book highlights what he learned about understanding – and misunderstanding – one another in the book: “Perception and Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures.” The First Goal of the Peace Corps is to provide technical assistance overseas; however, the Third Goal of the Peace Corps is to bring a volunteer’s unique international experience home to the US and share that information, plus build upon the experience to provide more intercultural understanding.
