July 23, 2026

#49 - Joe Lurie

Show Notes

"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for." - Harper Lee

Joe Lurie, the Executive Director Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley's International House, has a story, a proverb, or an eyewitness account for seemingly every occasion. Here's one from Ukraine: "You don't really see the world if you only look through your own window." From an early age, Joe has not only sought out new windows with different views, but has also made it his life's work to open these windows for as many others as possible.

UC-Berkeley's "I-House" is a dynamic multi-national residential program center serving the campus, local community, and 1,000 residents from more than 75 countries annually. Lurie served as Executive Director for more than two decades and subsequently has been a writer, teacher, intercultural trainer and consultant on cross-cultural communications. His clients have included Google, American Express, the Peace Corps, the Institute of International Education, and many others.

A former Peace Corps volunteer, he also directed programs in France, Kenya, and Ghana for the School of International Training. He also served as Vice President for AFS Intercultural Programs in the United States. His work has been featured on NPR, PBS, Harper's Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, and elsewhere.

He is the author of Perception and Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures, and co-author of Close Encounters of a Cross-Cultural Kind. You can find more here.