Elwood McQuaid served as the executive director of The Friends of Israel for 12 years. He currently serves as executive editor of Israel My Glory magazine, which has a circulation of 200,000 with subscribers in 151 countries. He also hosts Friends of Israel's daily and weekly radio programs, "This Week with Friends of Israel," and "Eye on the Middle East," which air on more than 700 outlets in the United States. His 2-minute daily "Eye on the Middle East" news commentary is an increasingly popular feature on Christian radio stations throughout the United States.

Elwood left the pastoral ministry in 1977 to join The Friends of Israel. He later came on the staff of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, as a national conference speaker and editor-at-large for Moody magazine.

Elwood first traveled to the Middle East in the early 1970s while he was in the pastoral ministry. Since then he has researched and written extensively on Israel and God's prophetic program for the nation and the Jewish people. He is a frequent guest on "Janet Parshall's America" and has appeared on ABC's "Nightline," Israeli television Channel 10, and major Christian television stations in the United States.

Elwood has been interviewed by organizations such as the Associated Press, the BBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and is a guest commentator on numerous Christian radio networks.

He has spoken at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and is involved with national leaders in Israel and the United States on matters related to the current peace process. He has been a keynote speaker for the National Christian Prayer Breakfast in Honor of Israel. In recent years Elwood has been active in providing conservative analysis and commentary on the nature of the issues between radical Islam, Israel, and the Western world. In addition, he writes and lectures frequently on matters related to the worldwide persecution of Christians.

Elwood is also known for his extensive writing career. His books include Zvi; Zvi and the Next Generation; It Is No Dream; Come, Walk With Me; Not to the Strong; The Outpouring; The Zion Connection; There Is Hope; ZVI: The Miraculous Story of Triumph Over the Holocaust; II Peter: Standing Fast in the Last Days; Persecuted; and For the Love of Zion. His books also have been translated into several languages.

Elwood was born in Romulus, Michigan. He pursued undergraduate studies at Bob Jones University and the University of Arkansas. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Trinity College, Florida (Litt. D.), and Piedmont Baptist College, North Carolina (D.D.)

Elwood and his wife Maxine have four children and eight grandchildren.