Management

Brigadier General (Res.) Hadas Minka-Brand, Ph.D., assumed the role as Executive Director of JDC Israel on September 15th. She is the former Head of the IDF’s Behavioral Science Center, where she commanded hundreds of organizational psychologists and sociologists. She’s held numerous senior leadership roles in the Israeli military during her 25-year service, including senior advisor to three IDF Chiefs of Staff and the Intelligence Directorate, and as the head of the IDF’s Behavioral Science Research Institute. Among her numerous accomplishments, she played a major role in the IDF’s strategic Multi-Year Plan and led initiatives to promote equal opportunity and reduce social gaps among the ranks as well as efforts around digitization and data-based technology.
Hadas has an M.A in Labor Studies from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She’s a graduate of the IDF’s Military Behavioral Sciences College Training, the Wexner Senior Leadership program at Harvard, and has published dozens of professional articles.

Ori Gil has held various positions since joining Joint-ELKA in 2013. For the past two years, he has served as Deputy CEO in ELKA and Head of Cross-Sector Collaboration. In this role, Ori has been responsible for initiating and leading diverse partnerships between government and civil society aimed at strengthening shared work capabilities, cultivating networks of change agents, leading innovation in the public sector, and more.

Shlomi has over 20 years of experience working with services for vulnerable youth and young adults and leading development of innovative programs with government and NGO partners. He joined JDC in 2009 as a Program Manager, and later advanced to Area Head. During his tenure at JDC, he developed and implemented innovative interventions related to legal, educational, financial, and social service support for youth and young adults, including co-leading the development of JDC's Community Court programs and its adoption as a national model throughout Israel; JDC’s debt rehabilitation program; initiatives for at-risk soldiers; and many programs addressing the challenges faced by at-risk youth. He served as JDC-Ashalim’s lead for all post-Oct 7 emergency work – an area of operation that has been critical to ensuring the wellbeing of tens of thousands of children and young Israelis who have been disproportionately impacted by the terror attacks and ongoing war. Shlomi came to JDC with formative experience managing a shelter for at-risk youth with Israel’s Welfare Ministry and as a Jewish educator in the U.S. He holds and MA in Jewish Education from JTS and lives in Kibbutz Maale Ha'Hamisha near Jerusalem with his family.

Lior Schillat joined JDC in March 2025 as CEO of JDC-TEVET. Prior to this role, he held senior positions in the public and third sectors for over two decades, including serving as Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Director General of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, and Head of the Coordination, Monitoring, and Oversight Division at the Prime Minister's Office (now the Interior, Planning, and Development Division).
Throughout his career, Lior has led a range of socio-economic initiatives, including the "Day After" project of the Yated Foundation following October 7, the Northern Israel rehabilitation program after the Second Lebanon War, economic development plans for the Bedouin, Druze, and Circassian communities, and the growth strategy for Jerusalem. He was also one of the founders of Project Masa, aimed at strengthening ties between Israel and the Jewish diaspora.
Lior holds a bachelor's degree in Geography and Jewish Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and two master's degrees: in International Relations from Tufts University in the United States and in Energy and Global Public Policy from Sciences Po and IFP School in Paris.

Brigadier General (Res.) Yossi Heymann has years of experience in military and civilian management positions, including these senior positions in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Commander of the Golani Brigade, Commander of the Officer’s Training School Bahad 1, Commander of the 98th Paratroopers Division, and head of the Strategic Division in the Planning Directorate. He joined Joint Israel after serving three years as director-general of the Jerusalem Municipality. Yossi graduated from the National Security College, holds a bachelor’s degree from The Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Haifa.

Efrat joined the JDC in April 2026, bringing extensive experience in leading strategic social change, organizational management, and the development of cross-sector partnerships.
Prior to joining the JDC, she served for six years as the CEO of NATAL – Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center. In this role, she spearheaded the expansion of national trauma and resilience services, with a particular focus on the challenges of the "Iron Swords" war. Previously, she served as CEO of the Opportunity Fund and as CEO of Elem, where she led pioneering programs for youth and young adults at risk.
Alongside her executive career, Efrat served as Chair of the Round Table at the Prime Minister's Office and was a member of the Clalit Health Services Supreme Public Committee. She is also an academic lecturer specializing in civil society and social entrepreneurship.
A lawyer by training, Efrat holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a BA in Business Administration from the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) from Tel Aviv University.

As CFO, Itamar Ben-Hur oversees the planning, monitoring, and implementation of Joint Israel's budget and its financial operation.
Itamar brought both corporate and public sector experience to his work at JDC.
Prior to his appointment in 2012 as CFO of Ashalim he worked at Menora Mivtachim Insurance Ltd, one of Israel's leading insurance companies.
Before that came two-years at the Ministry of Finance, where he was in charge of the financial supervision of large public bodies, including insurance companies and pension funds. Through this Itamar gained insight into the public sector, which has proven invaluable for JDC, whose largest partner is the Israeli Government.
Itamar holds a BSc from Hebrew University and an MBA from the College of Management Academic Studies, Rishon LeZion. He completed his CPA internship at the Jerusalem office of the multinational firm Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Itamar is a Major in the Israel Defense Forces, still actively serving in its Reserves.

Roni is a senior leader in digital innovation and technology for social impact, with broad experience in management, development, and strategic consulting across the public and private sectors. She joined JDC Israel in 2021.
Before that, she co-founded and served as Co-CEO of a digital health startup, while also providing strategic guidance on digital transformation to organizations in Israel and abroad.
Earlier in her career, Roni led Israel’s National Digital Health Program at the Ministry of Health, where she shaped digital strategy, product direction, and national technology policy.
In the private sector, she held senior product and management roles, serving as Vice President at the management consulting firm Orantech, and later as Vice President at Netwise, a digital solutions and applications company.
Roni holds an EMBA with honors from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a BA in Psychology with honors from Tel Aviv University.

Mor has over 20 years of experience in human resources and management positions. She began her professional career in the Behavioral Sciences Department of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where she established and managed human resource programs for hi-tech and start-up companies both in Israel and abroad. Mor’s social awareness is reflected in her various roles in the field of employment diversity and in the establishment of the EMC Corporation’s new Research and Development (R&D) Center in Beersheba. Mor holds a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Ben-Gurion University, a master’s degree in Occupational Psychology from Tel Aviv University, and a diploma from the Group Facilitators Training Institute (Zippori).

At a time of challenge and opportunity for the State of Israel, Reeva Ninio helps JDC-Israel respond, adapt, and plan for the future. As Chief of Staff, she advances the organization’s evolving mission, focusing on reducing economic gaps affecting the most vulnerable, supporting recovery for those hardest hit by the October 7th crisis, and laying the groundwork for long-term national growth.
Reeva builds and sustains JDC’s strategic partnerships with donors, federations, and the business sector. Her work reflects an international outlook shaped by her life and work in South Africa, Washington, D.C., and Israel.
In her current role, Reeva has played a central role in guiding JDC through periods of heightened demand. Following the October 7th attacks, she oversaw JDC’s emergency response and continues to help steer recovery efforts nationwide. In 2020, amid the challenges of COVID, she led the renovation of JDC’s Jerusalem headquarters.
Earlier in her JDC career, Reeva advanced employment opportunities for Israelis out of work, and represented JDC to Jewish communities in the UK, Europe, and Australia.
Known for her active lifestyle, Reeva made aliya from South Africa in 1979. A mother of three sons, she lives with her husband on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Nir Yannay has extensive experience in the fields of strategic planning - security, public, and philanthropic. Nir led the feasibility study and preliminary planning process for the establishment of the "Fund of Funds" - a fund shared by several of the largest philanthropic funds in Israel, for the long-term development of the western Negev and the northern region. This was done in parallel with strategic work with many entities in the security and social fields. Previously, Nir completed 28 years of service in the defense establishment and retired with the rank of Colonel. In his last positions, he served as the head of the Strategic Planning Department in the IDF's Strategic Division and as the head of the Strategy Unit in the Ministry of Defense's Political-Military Bureau. Nir holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Ben-Gurion University, a master's degree in Security Studies from Tel Aviv University, and a master's degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.