Meet our Executive Director!

Caroline Mays

Executive director

Caroline Mays has served as Executive Director of New Story Leadership (NSL) since 2022, leading initiatives that empower emerging Israeli and Palestinian leaders, advance women’s participation in peacebuilding, and foster innovative approaches to conflict resolution.

With a career spanning Capitol Hill, international development, media, and civil society in the Middle East, Caroline brings a unique combination of political expertise and firsthand regional experience. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives and on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. She also spent four years in the West Bank, leading communications and external relations for Ma’an Network, the largest independent Palestinian media organization, and holding program management roles at the Bethlehem Development Foundation.

A longtime advocate for women’s and girls’ rights, Caroline joined Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai’s official delegation at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize celebrations in Oslo. She holds a Master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from The American University of Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The George Washington University, and has specialized training in conflict resolution.