Col. (Ret.) Gilead Shenhar

Research Associate, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University; Academic Coordinator, M.A. Program in Disaster Management, Tel Aviv University; Former Senior Advisor, IDF Home Front Command

Col. (Ret.) Gilead Shenhar is a senior consultant in the Homeland Security arena, a position he has held since 2004. He is an expert in emergency and disaster response planning and management, multi-agency/multi-disciplinary operational response, risk communication, and dealing with R&D in this field while providing emergency management consulting. Shenhar is the program academic director and a lecturer at the Department of Emergency and Disaster Management at Tel Aviv University, where he has taught in the executive master program for emergency and disaster management since its establishment in 2006. He has published several academic articles in his field. In addition, he serves as a Research Associate at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya and teaches at Haifa University and Bar-Ilan University.

Previously, Col. (Ret.) Shenhar served a distinguished career in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 1976 to 2003, culminating as Senior Advisor to the Commander of the Home Front Command (HFC). During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as a senior advisor to the Commander of the IDF Home Front Command. During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, he assisted the HFC with planning and executing risk communication for the civilian population. Throughout the 2009 Gaza War and subsequent operations, including “Cast Lead,” “Pillar of Defense,” “Protective Edge,” “Black Belt,” and “Guardian of the Walls,” Shenhar served as a senior spokesperson for the HFC.

He has been part of several IDF delegations to disaster areas, including Haiti in 2010, Nepal in 2015, Mexico in 2017, and Turkey in 2023. Shenhar also serves as an expert with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) since 2007. Throughout his career, he has accumulated over 20 years of management experience, leading doctrine development, R&D units, and operational organizations in a fast-changing environment, demonstrating a strong ability to adapt and respond to evolving needs and requirements.

Col. (Ret.) Shenhar holds an Executive MBA (summa cum laude, 1999) from Tel Aviv University and a B.A. in Political Science, Sociology, and Criminology (cum laude, 1985) from Bar-Ilan University. He completed the Directors in Large Corporations program (2000) at Tel Aviv University, as well as Computer System Analysis for Managers (1990) at the MAMRAM College for Computers, IDF. Additionally, he completed specialized international courses including the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Asia/Pacific Induction Course (2007) and the European Civil Protection Media & Security course (2009).

Col. (Ret.) Shenhar has published several academic articles in his field, focusing on emergency management, disaster response, and risk communication.