The steering committee is made up of top professionals — men and women — with broad experience and diverse education, who serve voluntarily to advance the Center’s goals and help shape its strategic policy.
Dr. Mohammad Alnabari
Chair of the Steering Committee
Dr. Mohammad Alnabari served as head of the Hura Council, one of the major Bedouin settlements in the Negev, from 2004 to 2018. The Movement for Government Integrity awarded him the “Knight of Government Integrity” prize.
He holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Ben-Gurion University, and he brings extensive private-sector experience following a successful career in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. He represents a new generation of leadership in the Bedouin society, having helped build close and effective working relationships with government ministries, the business sector, and civil society. During his tenure he introduced innovative approaches to improve the quality of life of the Bedouin population in the Negev.
Dr. Alnabari is co-founder and co-chair of the Wadi Atir Project, in partnership with Dr. Michael Ben-Eli from the “Laboratory for Sustainability,” and leads its development of a unique model for economic development.
He serves as chair and founding member of “Desert Stars,” an NGO that fosters a new generation of leadership in the Bedouin society, working to create a more just and equal society, and to promote productive shared life in the Negev. In addition, he is a founder and chair of “Alsnabel,” a social-economic initiative for employing women, in partnership with the AJIC-Negev Institute. Dr. Alnabari is a board member of Ben-Gurion University, and currently leads a highly influential multi-sector socio-economic initiative called “Yanabi’.”
Lior Kalfa
Department for Socio-Economic Development of the Bedouin Society
Senior Director of Socio-Economic Development for the Bedouin Society in the Negev on behalf of the Ministry of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, responsible for the Five-Year Plan for the Bedouin Society — a program involving cooperation with 23 government ministries, local authorities, regional clusters, civil society, and more. In his previous roles he served as Deputy Director of the Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouins in the Negev, CEO of the Beit Moriah nonprofit in Beersheba, secretary of the community of Nitzan, chair of the Gush Katif Settlers’ Committee, and CEO of the Neve Dekalim Ulpans. Prior to that, he held roles in non-formal education.
During the Disengagement era he was involved in the struggle against the Disengagement Plan, and as chair of the Gush Katif Settlers’ Committee he participated in all matters related to the rehabilitation of evacuated communities and in work with the government and Knesset for establishing new settlements. He has served voluntarily as a member of the regional council plenary of Hof Ashkelon, local committee chair, and as an executive member in various NGOs. Currently he serves as chair of the Neve Dekalim Ulpans nonprofit and as a member of the board of the Gush Katif Heritage Center. He holds a BA in Public Policy, Governance and Law from the Sha’arei Science and Law Academic Center. He lives in Nitzan, in the Hof Ashkelon regional council.
Benny Tserfati
האגף לפיתוח חברתי כלכלי של החברה הבדואית
Benny Tserfati is the Director of Planning and Control in the Socio-Economic Development Department of the Bedouin Society in the Negev, under the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs. He is involved in planning, implementing, and monitoring government five-year plans in employment, infrastructure and economic development, and promoting projects such as establishing factories and incentivizing entrepreneurship in Bedouin localities.
Dr. David Koren
Jerusalem Institute for Social Policy Studies
Dr. David Koren has been CEO of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Studies since 2021. He is an expert on Jerusalem and the Middle East, with extensive experience in research, strategic planning, and working with governmental bodies. He has served as head of the Middle East Branch in the National Security Council, advisor on East Jerusalem matters to the mayors of Jerusalem, and has led strategic programs in the Ministry of Education. He holds a doctorate in Middle East Studies, and lectures and researches topics of Jerusalem, society, and public policy.
Prof. Arnon Opek
Director of the Gartner Institute
Prof. Arnon Opek is an Israeli physician, pathologist, and medical administrator, prominent in the field of public health. Born in 1963, he graduated with honors in Medicine from the Hebrew University, specialized in pathology at Sheba Medical Center, and earned a master’s degree in health systems management from Ben-Gurion University. He served as a military doctor, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was Director General of the Ministry of Health (2014-2015), promoted mental health reforms, quality indicators, and established the Shimon Peres Hospital in Beersheba. Currently he is Deputy Director General of Sheba Medical Center and head of the General Hospital.
Prof. Binyamin Gidron
The College of Management
Binyamin Gidron is Professor Emeritus in the Gelford Glazer Faculty of Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and currently serves as Head of the Research Authority at the College of Management in Rishon LeZion.
He was a pioneer in researching the third sector and civil society in Israel: he founded the “Israeli Center for Third Sector Research” at Ben-Gurion University and managed it for 12 years (1997-2009). He was also the founding president of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) and has extensive experience in comparative studies. Over the past decade he has focused mainly on social enterprises and startups addressing social and environmental issues. He has published 12 books and dozens of articles.
Dr. Ronen Arbel
Sapir Academic College
Dr. Arbel is a senior lecturer in the Department of Technological Marketing and in the Entrepreneurship & Innovation program in organizations, and the lead mentor in the Entrepreneurship Lab for health professions. Additionally, he leads innovation and research in the community division of Clalit Health Services.
Dr. Arbel’s research has influenced national and global health policy in several areas. First and foremost, he is considered one of the most impactful researchers regarding the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments worldwide. The studies he led in this area have had significant influence on policy makers, the media, and the public globally, and have been explicitly cited as a factor in policy changes around the world. Arbel has also impacted global policy during the monkeypox outbreak, high-dose flu vaccinations, and drug therapies for weight loss and cardiometabolic disease.
Ronen has led dozens of publications in leading medical journals. He continues to lead several big-data based studies at Clalit that are likely to change the future landscape of medicine in various fields. The first of these studies, aimed at recommending optimal personalized medical treatment for atrial fibrillation patients, was awarded the most prestigious medical grant in Israel by the National Science Foundation. This study, and similar ones, seek to harness science, information, and computing power to streamline and improve the quality of medical practice, thereby extending and improving patients’ lives.
Prof. Nimrod Bar-Am
Dean of the Research Authority, Sapir Academic College
Prof. Nimrod Bar-Am is an Israeli philosopher, expert in logic, philosophy of science and communication. He serves as Dean of the Research Authority and as a professor in the Department of Communication at Sapir Academic College, and chairs the “Research, Creation and Teaching Committee” at the college. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Yosef Agassi, and conducted post-doctoral work at the Dibner Institute at MIT. He has also been a research fellow at Columbia University. His research deals with formal structures in science, modern logic, and science-society relations.
Prof. Rivka Carmi
Former President of Ben-Gurion University
A pediatrician and medical geneticist, formerly director of the Genetic Institute at Soroka Medical Center, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, and President of Ben-Gurion University.She currently serves as President of the Israeli National Academy of Scientific Medicine, Chair of Science Abroad (Science Abroad organization), Chair of national committees, and member of many boards in medicine, health, and education, including the board of “Desert Stars.”
Prof. Rajeh Sharkia
Al-Zarawiy Institute
Details to come
Yoav Ilon
Ministry of Innovation, Science & Technology
Yoav Ilon serves as Senior Director for Technology and R&D in the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology of Israel. In his role, he is responsible for promoting a national policy in innovation, science, and technology, collaborating with government, academic and industrial bodies. Ilon participates in discussions in the Knesset’s Science & Technology Committee, where he represents his ministry’s positions and helps formulate strategic programs to advance science & technology in the country.
Dr. Ahmad Halichal
Central Bureau of Statistics
He holds a PhD in Demography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.He has worked at the Central Bureau of Statistics since 1991 in various roles. Today he serves as Senior Director of Demography & Census. In this position he is responsible for official statistics concerning population estimates, demography, the census, health, and the registry of dwellings and buildings.
An expert in official demographic statistics, with extensive experience in population, demography and census matters. Over the years he has developed and led the creation of statistical series in various fields, including among the Bedouin population on topics such as population size and estimating the phenomenon of polygamy.
Nati Buchnik
Director of Strategy, Bedouin Authority
Yuval Turgeman
Authority for Bedouin Development & Settlement
Yuval Turgeman was appointed CEO of the Authority for Bedouin Development & Settlement in the Negev in May 2024.
Since 2017 he has held roles as Deputy Director for Regularization and Deputy Director of the Authority.
In these roles he led all matters of regularizing Bedouin localities and led the “Focus Program” of Minister Amichai Shikli. In his education Yuval holds a BA in Political Science & International Relations, an MA in Political Science & International Relations from Bar-Ilan University, and another MA from the University of Haifa — as part of studies at the National Security College.
Dr. Khaled Alised
Kaye Academic College of Education
Dr. Khaled Alised is a senior lecturer at Kaye Academic College of Education in Beer Sheva, and serves as Head of the Master’s program in Educational Counseling. He is also active in the Graduate School, the “SHaF” program, the Teacher Entry Unit, and in the Simulation Center. His research focuses on educational psychology, especially in the context of the Bedouin society in Israel.
Among his prominent works:
- A doctoral thesis on “Emotional reactions to stress and coping resources among Bedouin adolescents from recognized villages and unrecognized villages following house demolitions,” submitted to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
- Articles dealing with the contribution of autonomy support to optimal learning experience among Bedouin students, within the framework of examining self-determination theory in a collectivist society.
Dr. Alised contributes greatly to understanding the educational and psychological challenges of the Bedouin society, combining academic research with educational practice in the field.