Mandel Program for Senior Executive Leadership in the Negev

The program aims to create a cadre of senior executive leaders that will address the shared challenges of the Negev – a group that will serve as a beacon for the region and that has great potential to effect change through connections between the wide array of fellows and graduates of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev.

Program Goals

The program seeks to establish a diverse, trust-based group of senior executive leaders from government ministries, local authorities, and civil society, in order to attain the following goals:

To identify and develop a Negev ethos and vision based on the beliefs and values of senior executive leaders in the region, as reflected in their professional capacities and commitment to the Negev.
To explore and create new knowledge that informs action at both the regional and local levels.
To foster collaborations among the senior executive leadership of the Negev to advance the region as a shared and diverse space.

The program also aims to strengthen the participants’ leadership and management skills, while focusing on values clarification based on engagement with the humanities, the development of a strategic regional language, adopting innovative thinking, and working to promote meaningful action in the Negev.

Study Units

The program is based on the core principles of the programs of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev, which include values clarification and clarification of worldview; society, place, and region; policy, government, and local government; and leadership and management. The course of study will focus on the following areas:

Developing a vision based on the unique traits and strengths of the Negev – This action-oriented vision will be developed collaboratively by the fellows, who will address the disparity between their perceptions of ‘good’ and the realities of the Negev, as grounded in data and conceptual, theoretical, and values-based analyses. The process of vision development will include clarification of individual and collective values, based on the humanities in general and on philosophical inquiry in particular. At the same time, fellows will develop a strategy for effecting desired change, based on a deep understanding of the Negev’s unique characteristics, diverse communities, and geographic distinctiveness.
Shared Space – The Negev is characterized by multiculturalism, a diverse population, and a unique mix of communities. Consequently, attaining the principle of a shared life in the Negev poses a great challenge. Creating collaborations has the potential to develop processes of mutual responsibility and joint efforts to attain shared goals of the various communities, while addressing urgent issues facing the Negev. The program will examine the impact of multiculturalism on the Negev’s services and frameworks in the areas of education, welfare, health, culture, security, and the environment. Fellows will deepen their understanding of multiculturalism in the Negev and its influence on public and private spaces, will examine the issue of shared space in the Negev, and will propose models for meaningful shared spaces in the region.
A Three-Layered Model of Governance: National, Regional and Local – Fellows will explore the existing structure of government in Israel, the desired structure of government for the Negev, and the desired interaction between national, regional, and local government to meet the development needs of the Negev. Based on this clarification, the program will strive to create a group of leaders who will think strategically about the challenges of the Negev and its communities and work together to lead change in various areas of life. At the regional level, the program will facilitate meaningful partnerships between the fellows and key government officials, in order to drive vision-based social change.

Program Director: Dr. Rotem Bresler Gonen