03/15/2015
TAMID at Illinois is excited to announce the hiring of TAMID Israel Investment Group's new Executive Director!
Meet our new Executive Director: Yoni Heilman!
Where did you go to college and what did you study?
I have a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Boston University with concentrations in Strategy & Nonprofit Management.
What is your work background/experience?
My work experience has taken me to every sector: for-profit, nonprofit, government, and military. I was a soldier first (some line about 'once a soldier, always a soldier?), but kicked off my professional career in government, working for the Israeli foreign ministry, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Knesset. Finally breaking free of government, I worked as a sort of chief of staff for Taglit-Birthright Israel, and most recently as the COO for a for--profit social enterprise called Online Jewish Learning.
Why are you excited to join TAMID?
TAMID joins together two of my greatest passions: empowering students to harness their own professional potential, and helping future business leaders to develop a relationship with Israel. There is a natural fraternity between the business/startup community and Israel, and TAMID is perfectly situated to facilitate that connection and provide students with a tremendous advantage as they launch their careers.
First act on the job will be..?
Developing relationships with student leaders and other stakeholders, and planning a strategy to facilitate continued growth while maintaining and improving the quality of the TAMID program. This will include resource development, systems development, and probably much more as well!
What is your strongest skill?
I'm a multiplier. My skill is taking a step back and making sure all of the moving parts are in sync so that our efforts - both on the professional side and for students busy juggling TAMID with their academic careers - go twice as far.
One word to describe Israel’s start-up nation?
Multi-faceted.
Favorite Israeli start-up company? Why? What do they do?
Waze. Ok, so maybe you can't be considered a startup anymore once you've been bought for more than $1 billion, but I've been a supporter and user of Waze since the beginning and...well, they get you where you need to go. Can't beat that.
Fun fact about you that few people know (and now will be posted all over the internet)?
I once appeared on one of Israel's prime news programs as their 'Thanksgiving expert' - thanks to the impressive credentials of being American and knowing how to speak Hebrew.
Is there anything else that you would like to announce or note?
My job as Executive Director will be really to empower and support the students that have been the lifeblood of TAMID from Day One. Nate and I will be working hard to make sure that the sky is the limit in terms of what TAMID students can achieve, and we can't wait to work with all of you.
