Lyne Sneige has over 15 years of experience in international development in the Middle East. Before joining The Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington D.C. as Director of the Arts and Culture Program, Sneige was deputy director Lebanon and regional projects manager for Arts and Culture for the Middle East at the British Council operating out of Beirut. She has extensive experience in strategy and planning as well as project management, and has many years of experience in the arts and culture scene in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. Sneige is a strong advocate of the important role that artists play in their societies, and a main contributor to changing perceptions of the cultural sector in the Middle East as an important conduit to social and economic change. Sneige is a frequent speaker and moderator at conferences and discussions, around the role of the arts in society. Sneige is a Salzburg Global Seminar fellow, a nominator to the Art Jameel Prize, an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition organized in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and a consultant to the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) that is set to open in 2020.