Michele La Morte-Shbat has an advanced degree in Economics and worked in Washington, DC for 17 years, before relocating with her husband and two miniature poodles to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where she resided from 2000 to 2004. She has lived in Doha, Qatar since 2004 where she worked for Shell Oil Company before managing a project to advance the understanding between the Arab world and U.S./west. Michele has published several articles on this topic.