Members of the Management Committee

Major-General (Retired) Gideon She
Major-General (Ret.) Gideon Sheffer has vast experience in management positions in various fields and has served as Chairman of the Board at Kinneret Academic College since 2020. He joined Elbit Systems, Ltd., in 2001 where he serves as Corporate Vice President for Strategic Planning. Following a career in the Air Force which included serving as its Chief of Staff, and then as Chief of Human Resources for the General Staff of the IDF, Sheffer was a member of the founding team of the Israel National Security Council. After serving as its Deputy Director, under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Sheffer served as head of the Council. He is active in promoting peace issues in the region and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of a number of corporations and organizations.

Sheffer was born in Poland in 1948 and made Aliyah in 1950. He is married, the father of four children and grandfather of nine grandchildren. Sheffer holds a bachelor’s degree (with distinction) in Israel Studies from Bar Ilan University and graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University (1993).

Members of the Management Committee (in alphabetical order):

Ms. Aliza Barkai

Ms. Barkai is chairperson of the Kinneret College finance committee, and has been a member of the NPO since 2017. She is a member of Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov Ihud, and serves as business manager of Kibbutz Beit-Zera; a director of Sde-Eliyahu Holdings; Blog Plastics; Degania B tourism; and member of Kishurit NPOs.

Prof. Yuval Dror
Has been a member of the NPO since 2011.

He is a professor in the Education Administration and Policy Department of the Tel Aviv University. He serves as head of the master’s degree specialization program in democratic education, is responsible for the Chair of Jewish Education, and edits the inter-university educational history publication Dor Le’Dor (Generation to Generation). He is a member and the chair of various CHE committees, and a member of the community expansion program at Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin in the Bet Shean Valley.

Mr. Uzi Keren
Has been a member of the NPO since 2010.

He is a member of Kibbutz Ein Gev. He served in the IDF in a wide range of capacities (discharged with the rank of brigadier-general), and is a graduate of the Israel National Defense College. He has filled various financial and rural development positions (secretary general of a kibbutz, kibbutz coordinator, kibbutz financial director, director general of Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd.). In the past he headed a number of projects of rural development and was also advisor to the Prime Minister on rural development. He currently serves as CEO of Ein Gev Tourism.

Dr. Erez Onn
Has been a member of the NPO since 2014.

He is general director of the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya, a specialist orthopedic surgeon and an expert in medical administration. He has a master’s degree in healthcare systems administration from Ben Gurion University, and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa. Dr. Onn filled a number of senior positions in the IDF Medical Corps, and senior management positions in Israel’s healthcare system. He was a lecturer at the University of Ariel, a member of the Israeli Union of Hospital Directors and of the Israeli Orthopaedic Association.

Mr. Itsik Portal
Has been a member of the NPO since 2010.

He is director of the Department of Young People and Human Capital Development at the Municipality of Tiberias. The core areas of his purview include: higher education, employment, social involvement, culture and leisure. He has also headed the ‘City without Violence’ program for the past 5 years. This is a state program which operates in 100 cities and towns around Israel. In the past he has headed the Youth and Social Neighborhood Rehabilitation departments of the Municipality of Tiberias. He fills a number of voluntary positions in the north, and lives in Tiberias.

Dr. Ahmad Tapesh
Has been a member of the NPO since 2014.

Dr. Tapesh is a US-educated chemist and serves as marketing and business development vice-president of Transbiodiesel. He serves in a number of management and marketing positions in the field of alternative energy, and is an advisor on final projects and internship papers. Dr. Tapesh has over 30 patents registered in his name, as well as academic papers in the field of chemistry.

Dr. Ronnie Winkler
Has been a member of the NPO since 2008.

He is a business development and management support consultant. He has a PhD in aeronautical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is a member of the board of governors of the Achiezer Foundation.

Dr. Ofir Menashe

A member of the NPO since 2022.
A Senior Lecturer Faculty member, in the Department of Water Industry Engineering and Head of Agro-Tech Engineering study track, in the Faculty of Engineering, at Kinneret Academic College. An environmental microbiologist specializing in biological process engineering for water and wastewater treatment and Director of Environmental Biotechnology Research Laboratory.
Dr. Menashe serves as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Board Member BioCastle Water Technologies Ltd. and Fishways Ltd. Previously (2012 to 2021) served as head of Water Technology Engineers Program at The Kinneret Technology College.

Ms. Orit Messer-Harel – Junior Commissioner, Retired

A member of the NPO since 2020. Previously, served in high-ranking positions in the Israel Police, in a variety positions such as investigator, intelligence and spokeswoman of the Israeli Prison Service. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Security. CEO of the Valley Tourism Association. Served as Chairman of the Board of the Tamrat Community. Currently a member of the Parole Board Committee and other public committees at the Ministry of Justice. A Lecturer on criminal matters and communication. Graduated with a Master’s Degree in Criminology from Bar Ilan University.

Prof. Yair Caro

Has been a member of the NPO since 2020.

He is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Haifa – Oranim. Served as Dean of the University Division at the University of Haifa and in the Senate between 1994-1997. Previously served as President of Oranim Academic College of Education between 1997-2013. Has served on numerous Council of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education committees. Actively engaged in field research for combinatorics and with over 150 scientific publications on the topic. Member of Kibbutz Geva.

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