Safa serves as Program Director for Arab Community at Yad Hanadiv. She holds a PhD from Ben-Gurion University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in Anthropology at Harvard University from 2016 to 2018. Her primary areas of expertise are Anthropology and gender; feminist discourse in the Arab and Islamic world; and oral history, with a focus on Bedouin collective memory and documenting silenced voices. At the Mandel Centre for Leadership in the Negev, Safa developed and delivered leadership training, working with mayors and heads of local councils, and senior officials in the civil, public and business sectors, while also teaching part-time at Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College. She joined Yad Hanadiv in 2019.

Esther Akiva is a social activist and a public administration professional dedicated to advancing regional justice and bridging the socio-economic gaps between Israel’s periphery and its center. Born in New York and raised in an ultra-Orthodox community in Samaria, Esther now resides in Kibbutz Sa’ad in the Gaza envelope.

With a deep commitment to social change, Esther began her role as Co-CEO of the Tamar Center just one month before the October 7th events. Despite being evacuated to the Dead Sea from her home in the kibbutz, she continued to lead the organization and address the challenges faced by Bedouin students in the Negev. Tamar Center focuses on empowering students in grades 9-11 to excel academically and integrate socio-economically.

Esther is also a founding leader of EcosySTEM Negev, an initiative designed to promote STEM education and high-tech opportunities within the Bedouin Arab community. Through her leadership, she helped establish a regional partnership between the Western and Eastern Negev Regional Clusters. Additionally, Esther is a board member of Saad Holdings Corporation and the Gomat Chen Association, which supports girls at-risk in the region.
Esther holds a B.A. in Public Administration and Policy and an M.A. in Urban Planning.

Mohammad Darawshe is regarded as a leading political analyst and expert on Jewish-Arab relations within Israel. He has served as the Director of Strategy at the Givat Haviva Center for a Shared Society since January 2014, and previously from 2000 to 2005. He was also a member of the strategic planning team for the Authority for Economic Development of the Arab Sector. Additionally, he is a research fellow at the Hartman Institute and the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, specializing in national minority issues. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in peace education strategies at Al-Najah National University.

In the fall of 2024, he will be a visiting scholar at the Illinois Global Institute at the University of Illinois. In 2019, he held a similar position as a visiting scholar at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.

Previously, he served as Co-Director of The Abraham Fund Initiatives (2005–2013) and was a council member of his hometown, Iksal, from 2008 to 2013. He also managed election campaigns for the Democratic Arab Party/United Arab List from 1992 to 2000. In 2009, he was a member of the National Committee that drafted Coexistence Education policy. From 1986 to 1992, he worked as Program Director at Legacy International in Washington, D.C., after serving as a Parliamentary Assistant in the Knesset from 1984 to 1986. Before that, he facilitated Jewish-Arab encounter programs.

Mohammad Darawshe has delivered lectures and presented papers at numerous universities and international venues, including the European Parliament, NATO Defense College, the World Economic Forum, the Club de Madrid, the U.S. Congress, and the Herzliya Conference. His work has earned him several honors, such as the Peacemakers Award from the Catholic Theological Union and the Peace and Security Award from the World Association of NGOs. He is currently a member of several executive boards, including OneVoice and Civil Leadership.

He holds a Master’s degree in Conflict and Peace Studies from Haifa University, as well as Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science from Emek Yizrael College and in English and Political Science from Hebrew University.

Dr. Enaya Banna is a landscape architect and urban planner, who holds a PhD in Urban Planning from the Technion. Her research work focuses on participatory planning in Arab communities. Currently, she serves as CEO of AlBayader.

She has served as consultant to the head of the Planning Administration on housing and planning in Arab towns in Israel. She worked for ten years as urban planner for the Arab Center for Alternative Planning (AC-AP), representing Arab-Palestinian interests in planning, territory, housing and development.

Basel is a Senior Editor and Writer for TV journalism programs at the Public Broadcasting Corporation. His career includes a notable stint as Chief of Staff, Spokesperson, and Adviser to MK Dr. Yousef Jabareen in the Knesset from 2017-2021.

As an undergraduate student at Haifa University, Basel was elected Chairman of a student movement. In this role, he led several campaigns advocating for the rights of Arab students. Among his significant contributions was his leadership during the “Coalition of Direct Employment” campaign, which successfully transitioned the university’s janitorial staff to direct employment in May 2018. Basel holds a BA in Political Science & Sociology from Haifa University and an MA in Public Policy from Tel Aviv University. Basel lives in Majd Al-Kurum village, an Arab Village in the Galilee.

Saja Kabaha is a program manager and Arab tech sector lead at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv. In her role, she focuses on fostering collaboration and promoting innovation, while amplifying the Arab tech sector’s influence on a global stage. Saja is passionate about championing diverse talent in the Israeli tech scene and is committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Saja’s journey in the tech world began with her tenure at Intel. As Chief of Staff under the CEO of the Jerusalem campus, she spearheaded numerous campus-wide projects and managed diversity and inclusion efforts. Prior to this role, Saja managed Intel’s external and community outreach programs, where she supported the company’s CSR efforts and built strong connections with the community. Her contributions to Intel were recognized in 2021 when she was awarded the Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Impact Award, celebrating her impact on the company.

Beyond her professional achievements, Saja is deeply committed to economic prosperity and tech diversity through her volunteer roles. She has led initiatives for the World Economic Forum in Jerusalem, contributing to the city’s development and the tech ecosystem. Additionally, Saja is the founder and host of Seeratech, the first-of-its-kind Arab-speaking, women-led podcast tailored for Arabs interested in the hi-tech and innovation industry. Through Seeratech, she provides a platform for discussing important issues and sharing inspiring stories from the Arab tech community.

Saja earned her BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and lives in Barta’a, a small village in the Triangle area where she grew up. She is also a devoted cat person, sharing her home with her two beloved cats.

Shahira currently serves as the Co-Executive Director at the Abraham Initiatives. Shahira is the former Deputy Mayor of Haifa, former city councilor, and was among the founders of the Palestinian Feminist Movement in Israel. She has held several key managerial roles at numerous social service organizations, including helping establish the Hiwar School for Alternative Education in Haifa. Previously, Shahira directed Shatil’s Shared Society Department for ten years and she co-founded Kayan, the first Palestinian feminist organization in Israel. She was on the faculty of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the North and managed its local leadership programs. Shahira holds an M.A. in Religious Studies and a B.A. in Social Work. She is a trained organizational consultant, group facilitator, and trainer specializing in dialogue, conflict, and conflict resolution.