and Yale University in 1955 with a Ph.D, prior to joining the United States Air Force to fulfill the mandatory service requirement, which led to a liaison role with the Central Intelligence Agency.

[6] Saunders joined the National Security Council staff in 1961, serving through the Johnson administration as the NSC's Mideast expert during June 1967 Six-Day War.

[9] As assistant secretary of state for the Near East and South Asia under President Carter, Saunders played a critical behind-the-scenes role during the 1978 negotiations at Camp David, culminating in the two framework agreements comprising the Camp David Accords, leading directly to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in the following year, which Saunders helped draft.

[6] In October 2010, the Dartmouth Conference celebrated its 50th anniversary of a dialogue between Russian and American citizens,[10] which began as a critically needed back-channel at the behest of President Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Khrushchev in 1960.

In 1991, Saunders facilitated Israeli and Palestinian citizen-leaders who forged and signed the historic document, "Framework for a Public Peace Process" .

"[16] Saunders' legacy was reflected in the 2017 Commencement Address of Notre Dame de Namur University,[17][circular reference]"STORIES OF CHANGE: Creating a Culture of Connection in The Citizens’ Century.