Senior research fellow at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem; leads the development of models for collaborative governance in local authorities and particularly in their education systems. Established and directed the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev, was head of the Mandel Institute in Jerusalem and served as the president of the Mandel Foundation in Israel. She also served as the chief scientist of the Civil Service Commission; at the State Comptroller’s Office, she was responsible for oversight of the Ministry of Education; was involved in research and teaching in the Non-Profit Management program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and edited the 'Civil Society and the Third Sector in Israel' academic journal. Her main areas of research interest are the education system in local authorities, privatization in education and collaborative governance in local authorities.Dr. Shiffer holds a PhD degree in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, received in 2004.