General Assembly

Chairman of the General Assembly, Achva Academic College, Major General Gideon Sheffer (res.) joined Elbit Systems, Ltd., in 2001 where he serves as Corporate Vice President for Strategic Planning. Following a career in the Air Force which included serving as its Chief of Staff, and then as Chief of Human Resources for the General Staff of the IDF, Sheffer served was a member of the founding team of the Israel National Security Council. After serving as its Deputy Director, under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Sheffer served as head of the Council. He is active in promoting peace issues in the region and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of a number of corporations and organizations. 
Sheffer was born in Poland in 1948 and made Aliyah in 1950. He is married, the father of four children and grandfather of nine grandchildren. Sheffer holds a bachelor's degree (with distinction) in Israel Studies from Bar Ilan University and graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University (1993).
 
Executive management

President of Achva Academic College, Prof. Shosh Arad graduated with a B.Sc. in Biology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds an M.Sc. cum laude from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She received her Ph.D. from City University of New York. Prof. Arad founded and headed the Institute of Applied Biosciences at Ben-Gurion University. Prof. Arad is an expert in the field of algal biotechnology focusing on cell wall polysaccharides. She has mentored more than thirty graduate students in her laboratory. With proven experience moving ideas from the test tube to industry, she has developed a number of algae-based products used by leading cosmetic companies worldwide. She has published over 100 reviewed papers. Prof. Arad was appointed as President of Achva Academic College at the end of 2016, following a 12-year term as President of the Ruppin Academic Center.

Director General of Achva Academic College, Dr. Etty Grobgeld earned her B.Sc. in Chemistry and her M.Sc. cum laude in Organic Chemistry from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Departments of Chemical Physics and Biological Regulation, followed her dissertation, Metabolic Alterations and Cell Death Induced by DNA-Damaging Drugs; Multinuclear NMR Studies of E. coli. and Human Breast Cancer Cells,. Dr. Grobgeld is a member of the Achva Academic College Faculty of Science and Faculty of Educational Administration. She is committed to development of academic administration and served as a tutor, for several years, in a college management training program. She promotes excellence in college teaching and played a leading role in establishing the Achva Center for Teaching and Learning. Currently focusing on the emerging field of neuropedagogy, Dr. Grobgeld is among the founders of the Center for Neuropedagogical Research and Development, established at Achva in 2014. Dr. Grobgeld was appointed General Director of Achva Academic College in October 2015. Prior to that, she served as rector. Her career reflects her dedication to Achva and its growing significance for higher education in southern Israel.

Rector, Achva Academic College, Dr. Yael Fisher holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration. Prior to her appointment as rector, Dr. Fisher served as Head of the Graduate School at Achva. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Administration in the Graduate School. Her research activities focus on educational administration and policy, parental involvement, excellence in education, and teacher and principal capability. In addition, she acts as an academic consultant to many educational institutions and played a major role in determining the policy of training programs for school principals in Israel.