Our Team
"Helping the Negev Bedouins integrate fully into Israeli society is a mission of national significance"
Management Team
Itzik Zivan
CEO of Yanabia
.jpg)
CFO of Capability Development
Ghalia Abu Kaff
.jpg)
Head of Quality of Life Division
David Shavlev
Resource Development Director
Aseel Atawna
.jpg)
Host of Intimaa
Diab Alglban
Resource Development Coordinator of Intimaa
Ferial Almterat
.jpg)
Agriculture Coordinator
Ronen Moran
.jpg)
Employment Coordinator
Hadil Masaudin
.jpg)
Director of the educational center
Asma Al Sana'a
Human Resources Coordinator
Esraa Abo Skoot
CFO of Local Government Division and Finance
Muhammad Abu Ashiba
.jpg)
Head of Education
Maged Alname
Finance Manager
Tayir Azulay
.jpg)
Initiatives Projector
Mona abo kaf
.jpg)
Host of Intimaa
Nur Abd Elkader
.jpg)
Employment Coordinator
Shery Alatawna
Employment Coordinator
Faten Alhwashla
Early Childhood Education Coordinator
Hanan Abu Zalf
Senior Health Coordinator
Zubida Ezire
.jpg)
Director of Ratam
Mohammed Abu Jafar
Head of Economic Development Division
Hurea Abo Jabar
Administrative Director
Mona abo kaf
Coordinator of intimaa
Rofida Alatawna
.jpg)
Recruitment and Integration Coordinator for
Anwar Alatresh
Employment Coordinator
Slam Alkrnawe
.jpg)
Early Childhood Director
Irit Fetal
Non-formal Education Coordinator
Asia Allenbari
.jpg)
Local Government Coordinator
Iris Perez
Board of Directors
Entrepreneur, engineer, social activist in the Bedouin community
Muhammad Al Nabari
Entrepreneur, engineer, social activist in the Bedouin community
_edited_edited_edited.png)
Dr. Muhammad Al-Nabari served as head of the Hura Council from 2004 to 2018 and is considered a central figure in the development of Bedouin leadership and society in Israel. He holds a doctorate in organic chemistry from Ben-Gurion University and has management experience in the pharmaceutical industry. During his tenure, he promoted collaborations with government ministries, the private sector, and civil society organizations, and led groundbreaking initiatives in the fields of education, the economy, and employment, including the Wadi Atir Project, the Desert Stars Association, and Al-Sanbal to promote women's employment. He currently heads the Yanavia Initiative and serves as a board member at Ben-Gurion University.
Entrepreneur, engineer, social activist in the Bedouin community
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.