Lauren Turek earned her doctorate in history from the University of Virginia in 2015, and holds a degree in museum studies from New York University as well as a degree in history from Vassar College. A specialist in U.S. diplomatic history and American religious history, Dr. Turek’s current book project examines the growth and influence of Christian foreign policy lobbying groups in the United States beginning in the 1970s, assessing the effectiveness of Christian efforts to attain foreign aid for favored regimes and to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions on those nations that persecuted Christians and stifled evangelism. She has received grants to fund her international research from the American Historical Association and the Society for Historians of American foreign relations, among others. In addition, Dr. Turek has a background in public history and has developed exhibitions at a number of museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions.