Three new leaders are joining the team that manages Tel Hai Academic College.  Each one brings with him years of experience as well as enthusiasm and new ideas, and this is a good opportunity to introduce them to you.

 

Yossi Malka is our new Managing Director.  He was nominated by a search committee convened after the tragic and untimely death of Eitan Gladizon z"l.  A native of our region, Yossi Malka was born in Kiryat Shemona and has been residing in recent years in the center of the country.  Yossi Malka has a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from Haifa University and a Master's degree in Public Administration and Policy from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  Since 2004 he has served as Managing Director of AKIM - the National Association for the Habilitation of the Mentally Handicapped in Israel.  Previous to that position he was the Head of the Local Council of the community of Tzoran in the Sharon region in central Israel, a senior consultant to the then Minister of Education, Yossi Sarid, and Director of the Education Department in the Kiryat Shemona Municipality.

 

 

Amnon Leshem, PhD. serves as Tel Hai's Vice President for External Relations & Development.   Amnon Leshem's academic field of study is history, with a B.A degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, an M.A. from the Albert Ludwigs University in Germany, and a PhD. from the University of Chicago.  Before returning to Israel and joining the staff of Tel Hai, he held senior educational, marketing and managerial positions in a number of American institutions, including Northwestern University, Central Florida College, Temple University, and the Career Education Corporation.  

 

Professor Yona Chen has been elected the new President of the College, and will enter the position in the fall of 2009 at the close of Professor Zeki Berk's term of duty.  Unlike his two counterparts described above, Yona Chen is not a newcomer to Tel Hai, having served on its Board of Directors since 2004.  Professor Chen is an expert of international standing in the field of agriculture; he has conducted groundbreaking research on environmentally-friendly methods of farming, including innovative use of recycled materials and advanced methods of irrigation.  Professor Chen is a member of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University, and has taught in numerous institutions in the U.S. and Europe.

 

Yossi Malka, Amnon Leshem, and Yona Chen will work together to continue and preserve the achievements of their predecessors, while raising Tel Hai College to new heights. The entire Tel Hai community welcomes them, wishes them great success in their vital and challenging tasks, and looks forward to years of creative cooperation and accomplishment.