Ruth Wasserman Lande graduated cum laude, in International Relations and Communications from Bar Ilan University in Israel.

Upon completion of her compulsory military service, she joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was subsequently appointed to serve as the desk officer for the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. Ruth was then promoted to the position of Assistant to the Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, dealing with counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation issues.

During this time, she also completed, magna cum laude, her Master of Arts in International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During her studies, she received the “Simcha Pratt Prize” for excellence on a paper analyzing the Oslo Negotiations. She was then appointed to serve for three years, as the political and economic advisor in the Israeli embassy in Cairo, completing her service there as the Deputy Chief of Mission.

In 2006, she was awarded a Wexner Fellowship to study for a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Harvard University (John F. Kennedy School of Government), where she graduated in June 2007.

After graduation from Harvard, Ruth was appointed as advisor to the President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres and seconded for the position from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ms Wasserman Lande works, on a voluntary basis, on the promotion and development of one of Israel’s poorest mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel, Lod and simultaneously promotes Israeli-Palestinian civil cooperation in her free time.

As of October 2010 she is also the Deputy Director General and Head of International Affairs of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel, working with all local governments throughout the country on achieving the utmost potential of interaction with the international arena.