Tal Ohana
Woman of the Year in the public sector
Tal Ohana is the first woman that served as the deputy mayor and mayor of Yeruham.
Before she was elected in 2010, she has led several organizations and social initiatives in Yeruham and the north of the country.
Over the past years her main political activity focuses on economic development. Tal is a great believer in the power of technology to allow mobility and community strength, reduce gaps between various populations, instill hope, and develop skills at an early age.
Coupled with vast investment in the educational system and complementary models, Tal has initiated the foundation of an Innovation Administration that provides trainings, specializations, development of social networks and meetups of young people in technological fields.
This is done alongside entrepreneurship and locating opportunities for insufficient national infrastructures that will allow partnership between governmental investments and business entrepreneurs in the sectors of multimotor drones and Seattleites.
As deputy mayor, Tal has established and developed the area of early childhood that now includes 3 daycare centers, a family health center, a child development unit, enrichment, and solutions for parents. This infrastructure is of extreme significance to demographic growth and the proper, healthy development of children.
Promotion of women has been close to her heart for years. Together with Hana Rado, she created several job opportunities in digital contents and quality assurance, manned by women without education, who were able to integrate into this field and double their wage.
Drawing on her personal life challenges, Tal recruited the large health organization in the city in favor of expanding medical services in women's various life stages, and is hoping to establish a holistic care center that combines research and innovation in the center of the city.
Tal has been personally mentoring several women with respect to their campaign for local elections 2023, as part of the goal to double the number of serving women, which is currently 14 out of 258 city leaders.
Tal graduated with honors her two academic degrees and is dreaming to serve her community also for the next five years.
Rotem Yadlin
Woman of the Year in the public sector
"There is no position which is as important as the position of a public servant", this is the family ethos on which Rotem Yadlin, head of Gezer Regional Council, has grown up. Yadlin, a fifth generation of public servants in Israel, competed in the 2018 municipal elections against a serving council head who has served for 25 years, and against all odds was elected with a 157 vote gap only. Since her election, she has promoted an agenda of rural space in the center of the country, which is based on the principles of preserving the last agricultural and open spaces available in the center of Israel. She is doing this using a strategic plan involving the environment, heritage, education, planning, and building.
As one of only 14 female heads of councils in Israel, Yadlin acts for the promotion of women, in particular in politics and in local government. She helps women reach out and compete for senior positions, and has a clear cut message for women to take place in central decision making junctions and be a part of leading social and political changes.
Yadlin has an LL.B from Tel Aviv University and an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University, US. Prior to serving as head of council, she served as CEO of the social program 'University Baam' striving to make academic studies in Israel available to underprivileged populations, mainly those using welfare services and lacking previous education. The purpose of this program was to allow these populations acquire vital, practical knowledge in disciplines learned at the various academic institutes. For this endeavor she was granted the Israel Bar Association Award.
Prior to that she served as senior consultant to the Cabinet Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office and as an attorney in the private sector. Yadlin began her military service as a cadet in a flight course and ended as an operations officer in fighter squadron in the Israeli Air Force. Concurrently with all her public duties, she has also volunteered on boards of several governmental, social, and public organizations.
Currently Yadlin is promoting strategic processes of enhancing the council by means of regional partnerships, especially with the city of Ramla, and thanks to her approach, she managed to promote a series of economic projects, which are important for the entire region. In her capacity she acts to promote and enhance education, looking ahead to the future, both on local and national levels.
