1. To create a generation of leaders who know how to work across political divides from a young age.
2. To extend MIT’s cutting-edge technological education to communities who could not previously access it.
3. To promote STEM education and tech-sector leadership among women and minority groups in Palestine and Israel.
4. To inspire our alumni to create and shape a more just society.
Shayma is VP of Marketing at HQ, a startup mobility company. Holding both her M.Sc and B.Sc. from the Technion in Haifa. Shayma was a consultant at theBoston Consulting Grou, and held various positions at the VC company NFX. After graduating from MEET in 2008, she came back to MEET as an instructor during the 2016 Summer Program.
Rafiq Masri is a Palestinian-American entrepreneur. Rafiq is an experienced CEO and Founder in the information technology industry. Rafiq serves as the chairman of Palestinian Economic Development Foundation (PalEco), and is on the board of Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), World Venture Group (WVG), and Search for Common Ground. Rafiq completed post graduate studies in business and software engineering at both Harvard and George Mason University. Rafiq is committed to efforts to build and support the Palestinian economy as a paramount requirement to any future peace and stability.
Wael is of Lebanese and Palestinian descent. Currently the Head of Data at WhatsApp, Wael previously worked for Senator Hillary Clinton in DC. He worked for 9 years as a Senior Quantitative Analyst and Engineer for Google Ads, and a year as Data Lead for Emerging Experiences at YouTube. Currently, he advises startups and works with a number of non-profits. Some issues he cares a lot about are diversity, education, and female empowerment. Wael currently resides in the Bay Area with his wife Vivian and their son Ziad.
Assaf is a serial entrepreneur who builds and runs complex, value-driven organizations. After co-founding MEET, Assaf founded several startups and social ventures to modernize the automotive industry space. Currently, Assaf serves on the board of Colmobil Corp, Israel’s largest car importer, distributor and retailer ($3B sales), In parallel, Assaf is also the Co-Founder of Mint Kitchen, a new Fast-Casual Israeli food concept in New York, and helped launch Future Mobility Israel - a think tank + policy lobby group with a vision to eliminate Israel's traffic and congestion.
Yohanan is a co-founder of Simpo
(previously ActionBar), a start-up that allows product managers quickly integrate different tools and non-core features into their apps without using development resources. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Network Science from IDC Herzliya. After graduating from MEET in 2006, he came back as a coordinator and business instructor.
Born and raised in Nazareth, Mrs. Younis holds a B.Sc. Degree in civil engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. Together with her husband founded “Alpha Omega Ltd.” Currently, she is serving as board member in multiple NGO’s that promote her belief in the 3E’s – Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship. Mrs. Younis’ aspiration is to promote entrepreneurship among the younger generation, encouraging them to pursue their dreams for a brighter tomorrow. In turn, she believes, this would have a great impact on Nazareth. It would transform this diverse city into a modern and technological place. Reem and Imad have three children: Dima, Jude and Nada.
Gigi is a founding partner of NFX (www.nfx.com), a $150m leading seed venture firm in Silicon Valley and Israel. He is a founder and investor in many technology start ups such as Playtika, Kenshoo, Plarium, MyHeritage, Optimove, Houseparty, R2Net, SimilarWeb, NanoRep, Replay Technology, SpaceApe, inceptionVR and others. Gigi serves on the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann as well as on the EMEA client advisory council of Facebook.
Subhi was Born and raised in Jerusalem
he left to pursue his B.Sc in Computer Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. After graduating from MEET in 2008, he
has since been involved with several startups. Most recently he's been heading the engineering team at Codecov. Subhi came back to MEET as a CS instructor for Y2 during the 2018 Summer Program.
Yaron Binur is a three-time founder who innovates in technology, education, and social change. He is a co-founder and currently the Chairman of the Board of MEET. Yaron co-founded two startups: Up2 and Redbeacon; the latter, a home-services marketplace, was acquired by Home Depot in 2012. He launched his career at Google after graduating from MIT in 2005.
Adi Soffer Teeni is the General Manager of Facebook Israel. She joined Facebook Israel in 2014 to build and grow the company’s Israeli office. Soffer Teeni began her career in 1997 as the CEO of Wall Street Israel, an international school of English. In 2001, she became CEO of Kidum Group, the country’s largest private education company. In 2008, she was appointed as General Manager of 888.com.She is a member of the Board of Directors of Unistream, MEET, Shecodes and Yozmot Atid, and is part of the advisory board for “KamaTach”.. Soffer Teeni holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from the university’s Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA program.
Anat is the co-founder and CEO of Ukko Inc., a biotech startup backed by top-tier Silicon Valley VCs which is solving food allergies and sensitivities. Previously, Anat was an Investment Partner at Innovation Endeavors, a venture firm backed by Alphabet’s Eric Schmidt. Anat also worked for Israel’s State Attorney, on Capitol Hill and with the World Bank. She received her PhD from MIT, an MPA from Columbia University and a law degree from Hebrew University.
Yaniv has international experience in the fields of education and social change, managing NGOs with large budgets that work on challenging the Israeli-Palestinian status quo through on the ground projects that aim at trade despair and frustration with partnership and hope.
Yaniv is also the father of Tav, Guy and Matar. He is married to Galia, a fellow educator and social activist who works at the bilingual school Bridge over the Valley in Kafr Qara. The two live in Kibbutz Ein HaShofet.
Mustafa Hussein leads MEET’s highly selective recruitment process and student program. Under his leadership, MEET consistently recruits a deeply diverse and talented applicant pool comprised of the region’s top students and young leaders. Mustafa co-developed and implements MEET’s Deeper Understanding curricula. Mustafa is qualified as a Computer Graphics Engineer, and previously worked for the Children Cancer Unit at Hadassah, Ein Karem Hospital. Beyond MEET, Mustafa’s interests include photography and graphic design.
Ada Harverd works closely with MEET’s CEO to manage resource development, and administrative, logistical, financial and legal responsibilities which allows MEET to run effectively and efficiently. Ada has experience in the Israeli high-tech world and has previously worked at G.ho.st, an Israeli-Palestinian joint-venture start-up, among others. Ada has a B.A. from Brandeis University. Outside of MEET, Ada enjoys time with her husband and three children, baking and long-distance running.
Etai is responsible for MEET’s overseas donor relations, fundraising and creative development strategies. He has previously served in campaigning, resource development and advisory capacities at a variety of organizations and projects, including Burning Man, the New Israel Fund, the Global Hunger Foundation, Bienvenidos, and the San Francisco Children’s Day School.
He graduated with honors from San Francisco State University (B.A. in Psychology), and holds an M.B.A. in Nonprofit Management from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA.
Anat has worked in the educational non-profit sector for over ten years. She has worked on developing and implementing leadership programs for youth and young adults. She now works to enhance our alumni's leadership and professional development, as well as developing our HR protocols and needs.
In her spare time she plays xbox and volunteers with queer communities.
Veronica was born and raised in Bethlehem. After working multiple jobs, she is now a Psychology student in Al-Quds Open University.
The focus of her role is bringing the MEET alumni community together, and take the Alumni Network to the next level, professionally.
Veronica's goals include making an impact and helping raise awareness of Mental Health, as well as gender equality. She is passionate about social and systemic change and helping others.
She appreciates a good cup of coffee and loves to spend time with her pets - yes, plural.
Dana is MEET's Director of Impact, working on demonstrating MEET's impact and implementing new programs for MEET alumni focused on building, measuring and communicating impact.
Dana is a biomed professional. Before joining MEET She filled senior positions in the bio-med/medical device industry as product and clinical trials manager. She is a Biomedical Engineer and an MBA graduate.
A long time social entrepreneur turned professional consultant and fundraiser, Keren Zehavi has gained extensive experience of over 17 years in philanthropy, communications and strategic organizational development with the non-profit worlds in the US and Israel.
Keren speaks four languages – English, Hebrew, French and Polish, has two kids and resides in Tel Aviv, Israel. When not working or driving her kids around, Keren enjoys art, running and reading.
Yulia is in charge of MEET’s grant writing program, as well as cultivating foundation relationships.
Yulia brings a multifaceted experience in the non-profit sector. She has previously served in R&D, project management, and grant operations roles at a variety of organizations.
Yulia was born in Saint-Petersburg, and currently resides in Tel Aviv with her family. She is a world traveler, and an explorer at heart, always on the lookout for new places and new people. She loves art, sports, and reading.
Mykel, who has lived in Lebanon, Zambia, the UK, and Burundi, moved to Jerusalem in 2018 to be with his partner. He works closely with the RD and Educational teams to ensure that MEET is well represented on all social media platforms in order that we might reach those who are best suited to our program, and maintain an ongoing relationship with our alumni and supporters.
Mykel has a BA and MA in Applied Drama, and co-founded a theatre company in 2014 which raises awareness of Modern Day Slavery. He is passionate about social justice, nature, art, and his dog, Don.
Iky made aliyah in 2016 after living both in the United States and Mexico. Having recently finished his Master’s degree in Non-Profit Management at the Hebrew University, Iky is very active in local and national politics. He started working with MEET as a USAID compliance officer, helping MEET with the various requirements that the position brings, and now supports the RD team. His hobbies include playing bass guitar and drums, video games and cooking.
Abdelrahman "Abed" Abu Rmeileh manages MEET's all aspects of logistics for our Jerusalem Hub and our Student Program. Abed is a multi-lingual Palestinian from Jerusalem, and holds an M.A. in Business and Economics from Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus. He has extensive procurement and logistics experience acquired at local and international companies and non-profits, and a strong background in finance, business, economics, and management. He is also the brother of one of MEET's alumni, and possibly Chelsea FC's biggest supporter.
Having served as a student program coordinator for 3 years, and working closely with students of the program, she has taken on the responsibility of leading the Year 2 cohort. She recently completed her Master's degree in English Literature at The University of Haifa, after finishing her bachelor's in said subject in addition to Asian Studies.
Tasneem also speaks 4 languages, so if you speak Korean, make sure to say hi!
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Graduated with a double-major in Psychology and English Language and Literature from the University of Haifa. Currently a student of a Master's degree in English language and literature. Experience in the field of education, since she's been working at an English centre for two years now as well as volunteered at a centre for kids that come from difficult backgrounds.
Lilach worked as a coordinator and a facilitator in the Nazareth hub, before taking on the responsibility of managing MEET's recruitment process. She possesses a lot of meaningful experience in group training, production, and education through volunteering as a counsellor in a developing leadership and conflict resolution skills program. Lilach enjoys reading books, theatre, and good jokes.
Aya graduated from Tel Aviv University with Executive MA in Educational management and leadership. Her BE.D.F.A is in Film studies and she worked in the film industry as a Film Editor for ten years before joining MEET.
Currently, a Ph.D. student at Haifa University, hoping to bring dialogue and Participatory leadership into the educational systems. Aya was a board member of Amutat Midburn and a volunteer in its production team every year since 2015.
Layan recently completed her Master's degree in Education in Science and Technology, majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Computer Science at the Technion, after she finished her BS.c. in Industrial Engineering and Management at the Technion. Layan cares about the community and loves to volunteer; she has volunteered in Rotaract, Shecodes, and QueenB.
Aseel is a MEET Alumna, of the class of 2021. Right after she graduated she couldn’t wait to come back and contribute to the program, so she volunteered as a Computer Science Teacher Assistant. During her senior year at school she was a Model United Nations instructor.
You can always find Aseel holding a cup of coffee while playing a Taylor Swift song. When you meet her, strike up a conversation about Hermione Granger, Mermaids, and Vampires.
Dima graduated from MEET in 2020, and is very excited to give back to the program.
She likes the sun, the beach, the movies and people that like to laugh!
Hiba graduated from the MEET student program in 2021, and has served as a Teaching Assistant, before joining the student coordinator team.
She is a keen sports woman, and coaches a girls soccer team. Interestingly, her hands are so small that she's not allowed to play the cello.
From a young age Siwar joined every science and math related competition she heard of. She later joined MEET as a student, and graduated from the program in 2021. She later gave back to the organization by volunteering as an Entrepreneurship Teaching Assistant before becoming a Student Program Coordinator. She is dedicated to giving the students the same positive experience that she was given.
Art and painting are therapy
Sari was an active member of his school council, and had a huge input into curricular and extracurricular activities. He graduated from the MEET student program in 2021, and has served as a Teaching Assistant, before joining the student coordinator team.
He loves to sing, and often blows the MEET community away with his voice at our Talent Shows.
After graduating from the program in 2012, Uriel Came back to work in MEET in 2017 as a student program coordinator. Wanting to give back to the program, and giving the students the same tools and process he went through as a student. Going through this experience Uriel decided to do his BA at the Hebrew University in Education and Political Science.
Ella joined MEET as Partnerships and Communications Coordinator in 2023, working to highlight the organization's impact and support both CSR and RD program needs.
She brings with her previous experience in project management, fundraising, and organizing for a variety of social initiatives in the non-profit sector as well as freelance op-ed writing.
Ella was born in New Zealand and currently resides in Haifa where she is active in both peace and feminist movements. In her free time, she is an avid painter and loves exploring nature and new places.
Sophie grew up in Alabama, and in August 2018 started pursuing her B.Sc in Biological engineering and Computer Science. At the end of 2019 Sophie became the MEET student coordinator at MISTI
Graduated from MEET in 2017 and has been involved with MEET ever since; From serving as a teacher assistant, to an instructor of CS, he is now leading the Computer Science curriculum with all its operations; mentoring and training leads, instructors and TAs to deliver a curriculum he has been working on for several years.
Loai is currently following his passions, studying Digital Games in Cologne, Germany; Whilst working on several other projects including start-ups and serious games.
Fouad graduated from MEET in 2020. Upon graduating, Fouad has served as a Teacher Assistant and Instructor and is now leading the Year 2 CS curriculum with all its operations, from shaping the right material that is to be taught, to mentoring and supporting the TAs and the students alike.
In his free time, Fouad plays tennis and is active in his own community by volunteering with the MUN program as a mentor, as well as being involved in a local youth group, Haifa Youth Movement. Fouad hopes to pursue a degree in Computer Science to follow his passion in the field.
For our Article 46 Certification, see here
For our 2021 Certification of Proper Management, see here
(R.A.)’s Equivalency Determination certification see here
MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) is MIT’s pioneering international education program. Rooted in the Mens et Manus tradition, MISTI matches MIT students with tailored internship, research and teaching opportunities abroad. We also facilitate international faculty collaborations and develop partnerships with leading companies, research institutes and universities around the world.
Since 2004, MIT has been a key founding partner in critical ways, providing MEET with access to volunteer instructors, a pool of international mentors who assist in drafting and updating our educational curriculum, and direct funding.
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