Shvuat ha-Adamah/Earth’s Promise is a diverse and talented organization with local, regional, and international support. Our board of directors includes well known professionals, local lay leaders, and rising young stars such as:

·         Professor Tal Alon-Mozes – Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

o       For more than 10 years Professor Alon-Mozes has been teaching, researching, and designing landscapes in Israel. Her professional projects include regional landscape planning and design, urban planning and design, and neighborhood planning and design. Some of her major works include:

§         Yarkon Park - Adventure playground/ Detailed design

§         Zippori - Master plan for the national park, and Detailed design/ National Park Authority

§         Mitzpe Masua - Recreation & Tourism center, Master plan/ Jewish National Fund

§         Bilu - Commercial Center/ Detailed design

§         and; the Master plan for Open Spaces in Israel, representative of SPNI (Society for the Protection of Nature, Israel) in the Advising Committee

·         Professor (ret.) Reginald Shagam – Department of Geological and Environmental Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

·        Gur Rotem – Ecologist and Founder, Adamama Permaculture Institute.

·         Gur Rotem is the founder of the Adamama Permaculture Institute located at Moshav Nir Moshe in the western Negev and is one of Israel’s premier permaculture experts. For the past 13 years Gur Rotem has been practicing, experimenting with, and teaching permaculture. By combining classical ecological concepts with innovative design strategies permaculture seeks to develop sustainable living systems that are good for both people and the environment.

·         Barbara Zur – Urban Planner, Tel-Aviv

·         Ethelea Katzenell – Senior Information Scientist, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

·         For more than 30 years Ethelea “Leah” Katzenell has been involved in social activism in the Negev. As a member of the AACI (American and Canadians in Israel) Leah has successfully lobbied the federal government to prevent smoking in public places and to provide discounts on all public transportation to senior citizens. In addition, as a member of the Negev’s Citizen Conference, Leah has been instrumental in mobilizing community support for plastic bottle recycling cages and a cleaner urban environment.

·         Mihal Eliav – Private Teacher (English Language).

·         In addition to being an experienced educator, Mihal is a master organic gardener and chef. For more than 15 years she has been growing her own organic fruits and vegetables using the waste products of urban ecologies to create exquisite vegetarian cuisine. Mihal has run therapeutic gardening programs for troubled youth and has worked as a zookeeper, a beekeeper, and an elementary school science teacher. Mihal is a proud resident of Beer Sheva and is a pillar of the local community.

·         Tova Hametz – Private Consultant and Project Director for Giving Wisely, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

·         Tova Hametz works as a private consultant with non-profit organizations and social service projects in various fields. Over the last 6 years she has helped numerous institutions function more efficiently (both internally and within the framework of Israeli bureaucracy and the Third Sector) in order to maximize their contributions to Israeli society. Tova is also the Project Director of Giving Wisely, the Israeli non-profit database founded and developed b Prof. Eliezer Jaffe of Hebrew University. She sits on the boards of several Jerusalem based educational organizations, and is a strong advocate of special education.

·         Josh Stramer – Student, MSc Environmental Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (expected July 2008)

·         Josh already holds an advanced degree in Industrial Engineering and has worked as a project manager in the field of information technology. However, despite these significant achievements Josh continues to reach higher. He is currently studying for his masters degree in Environmental Engineering and his thesis project entitled “Genetic Algorithm Applied to a Multi-Stage Sludge Treatment and Biosolid production”, seeks to find an economically and environmentally sound solution to one of Israel’s most serious problems; solid waste management.

·         And; Isaac Hametz – Agronomist and Founding Director, Shvuat ha-Adamah/Earth’s Promise.

·         Before moving to Israel, Isaac worked for years with local and national environmental NGO’s (non governmental organizations) in the United States. He has organized major policy campaigns with the Maryland Public Interest Research Group and the Sierra Club, and has spearheaded grassroots initiatives with the College Park Environmental Group, and the Maryland Sustainable Agriculture Group. As an agronomist, Isaac specializes in sustainable agriculture and has field experience managing an 8-acre (32 dunam) organic farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.