The Founders
David Niewood
FOUNDER & CEO
David is the visionary and driving force behind Negave Estates. A graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, a dual-citizen of the US and Israel, and former co-manager of the $10b+ global equity book at Phoenix Insurance, David will be the lead on the ground in Israel coordinating execution of the Negave dream, managing the personnel, and working with the rest of the team to ensure the right decisions are made at the right time and on budget.
YITZHAK CARMY
ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER/AGRICULTURALIST
Yitzhak Carmy is a 3rd generation farmer and a founding member of Moshav Mishmeret. Born and raised in Israel, and a decorated Major in the Israeli Defense Forces, Yitzhak owns and operates Carmy Exports, one of Israel’s largest independently owned and operated fruit and vegetable distribution and export companies. Yitzhak is also a partner in a cattle ranch in the Golan heights.
AMB. FITZ HANEY
ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER
Ambassador S. Fitzgerald (Fitz) Haney (ret.) served as US Ambassador to Costa Rica from 2015-2017. Amb. Haney has lived and worked on five continents and communicates effectively in four languages. He is currently a Managing Director at Lyrical Partners, LP, an $8B New York-based asset management firm. In the 1990’s, he developed an appreciation for premium tequila during 4 years in Mexico as he worked throughout Latin America in strategy, marketing and operations for various Fortune 50 US multinationals. His connection to the Negev also runs deep—he met his wife while they both were living in Arad.
William Kuluva
ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER
William Kuluva is a long-time entrepreneur with a tremendous amount of experience across various sectors including food manufacturing and distribution, skincare, and telecom. He currently owns and operates Sterling Gaming, a billiards and game room products company that has manufactured custom products for hundreds of distinguished brands including Jack Daniels, AB InBev, the NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, Camp David, the White House, Mars Wrigley, and many others. William is a food and wine enthusiast and a frequent traveller to Israel.
Amanda Parness
ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER
Amanda is CEO of Spring Advisory Services, a boutique management consulting firm with a private equity angle that helps start-ups and lower middle market companies grow and scale effectively. Prior to founding Spring, she was a partner at GoldPoint Partners, NY Life’s captive PE firm where she invested over $1 billion in US mid-market companies. Amanda loves traveling, reading, cooking and drinking tequila (obviously).
David Polinsky
ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER
David Polinsky is an attorney and seasoned executive in industries such as biotechnology, real estate and food service. He started his career in partnership with the Honorable Edward I. Koch, the former Mayor of NYC where Mr. Polinsky founded and served as CEO of a company that developed TheLaw.com in the foundational days of the internet. Mr. Polinsky is CFO of Rafael Holdings, Inc. ( NYSE: RFL) and member of the Board of Directors of publicly traded Innovative Food Holdings Inc (OTC: IVFH) a food service distributor and ecommerce platform.