Our Team
"Helping the Negev Bedouins integrate fully into Israeli society is a mission of national significance"
Management Team
Dr. Mohammed Alnabari
CEO of Yanabia
Mohammed Abu Jafar
Director of Ratam
David Shavlev
Head of Quality of Life Division
Ronen Moran
Agriculture Coordinator
Faten Elawashla
Agriculture Coordinator
Ghalia Abu Kaff
Head of Economic Development Division
Roei Dahan
Head of Local Government Division
Hadil Masaudin
Industry Coordinator
Rinat Peleg
Head of Administration
Michal Aviram
Director of Economic Development
Horia Abu Jaber
Agriculture Coordinator
Board of Directors
Itzik Zivan
Businessman and philanthropist
CEO of Al-Sanabel, one of the most successful social businesses in Israel, which provides employment and empowerment opportunities for women in the Bedouin community. Member of the board of directors of Desert Stars.
In addition to his full-time volunteer social activism in the Bedouin community in the Negev, he is a co-owner of Zivtex Ltd, and served in the past as VP of Pex and as a head of division for Delta Galil Industries.
Mr Zivan holds a BSc in Computer Science.
Natuch Alsana
Entrepreneur, engineer, social activist in the Bedouin community
A construction engineer by trade, married and a father of four children, lives in Lakiya.
CEO and owner of Z.N Engineering and Construction and Reality Impact Ltd.
Social activist and member of the board of directors of Desert Stars.
Also a co-founder and member of the board of directors of Asak – The Forum for Arab Businesspeople in the Negev.
Shira Bergman
Senior Product Manager
In addition to her job as a senior product manager at Taboola, she is also involved in media and news products.
In the past, she served as a coordinator in the Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance, where she was responsible for transportation, water and agriculture. Among her responsibilities, Shira was involved in shaping the government decision on socioeconomic strengthening of the Bedouin community in the Negev—the first such decision to be drafted with the active participation of members of the Bedouin community.
In 2018, she was part of the founding team of Yanabia, since when she has served as a member of its board of directors. Shira has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Tel Aviv University, and an MA with a specialization in finance from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzeliya.
Yarona Ben-Shalom
Social worker and psychologist
Yarona Ben-Shalom Richardson is a social worker, organizational psychologist, manager and entrepreneur.
She holds a range of strategic managerial positions, including: director of the southern branch of Shatil – the New Israel Fund; senior program director at JDC-ELKA; co-director at Mifam (southern branch); project manager of the Regional Campus for the Education and Rehabilitation of Bedouin Children with Special Needs; project manager at the "Neve Briut" health center in Beer Sheva; overseeing the implementation of government resolutions and more. She specializes in strategy, public and municipal government, inter-sector cooperation, developing partnerships and leadership, developing services and working with Arab and Bedouin society.
Ms. Richardson is proud to be one of the founders of Yanabia.
Nimrod Sheffer
Major General (Res.)
Nimrod Sheffer was previously head of the Planning Directorate of the IDF and served for many years as a combat pilot and commander in the Israeli Air Force.
After completing his army service, Nimrod served as CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In recent years he has served as a board member for MAOZ and Yanabia and has supported the Desert Stars initiative almost from the day it was established.
He is married to Haya and has four children. He holds a bachelor's degree in geophysics from Tel Aviv University and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.
David Gordon
Head of investments at Longliv Ventures
David Gordon is head of investments at Longliv Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in digital health investments.
He has previously held senior management positions in innovation, product development and strategic planning at Intel.
He is one of the founders and held a senior executive position at Orange Israel (Partner).
He has served as a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
In the 1990s, he was a correspondent and senior editor at the Maariv, a leading Israeli daily newspaper.
David holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also has earned adiploma in negotiations and conflict resolution from Tel Aviv University.
Dr. Khaled Elsayed
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Khaled Elsayed is a senior lecturer at the Kaye Academic College of Education and a lecturer at the School for Advanced Studies “Shachaf” program for second-career development, the ADM Simulation Center, and more. He is also a lecturer at the Ben-Gurion of the Negev University Department of Pedagogy and Teacher Learning.
Roni Maninger
Business consultant and mentor
Graduated with a BSc in Life Sciences and a Masters in Business Administration from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
She brings with her a wealth of experience from industry, having served as the CEO and other management positions in various companies.
She also serves on the board of directors of a number of publically-owned companies and works as a business consultant. She has also volunteered as a mentor for many years with the Keren Shemesh Fund.
Kher Elbaz
Co-CEO, Ajeec-Nisped
Graduated with a BA in Social Services from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, an MA in Social Planning and Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and an MBA from the University of Haifa.
For many years, Kher managed the Regional Welfare Division that provided services for the Bedouin towns of Segev Shalom, Kseiffe, Ar’ara and the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev. He worked in the Canadian Department of Welfare for three years.
Today, he is an expert in government social policy and contemporary trends in Bedouin society. He is involved in a wide range of initiatives in community planning and development, on a local and national level.