Adv. Mariam Kabaha, Deputy CEO, aChord: Social Psychology for Social Change, Former National Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Israel

Since October 2024, Adv. Mariam Kabaha holds the position of Deputy CEO at aChord: Social Psychology for Social Change, which focuses on bridging relationships between groups using scientific tools from social psychology.

For the past eight years, she served as the National Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) at the Ministry of Economy and Industry. The EEOC is responsible for eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and diversity within the Israeli labor market.

As the National Commissioner, Commissioner Kabaha was primarily responsible for mainstreaming equality and combating discrimination in the workplace on several grounds, including gender, age, nationality, and sexual orientation. Increasing diversity and inclusion in the Israeli workforce, in both the private and public sectors, was a priority on her agenda.

Commissioner Kabaha is the most senior Arab woman to have served in the Israeli civil service, and in 2021 and 2023, she was selected by Globes newspaper as one of the 50 most influential women in Israel.

Currently, Mariam holds several public positions:
She serves as a member of the Public Council of the Government Unit for Coordinating the Struggle Against Racism at the Ministry of Justice, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Economic Development Plan for Arab Society at the Aaron Institute, a member of the Advisory Committee to the Custodian of Absentees’ Property, a board member at the "Hand in Hand" NGO, a board member at "Keren Or" - a fund assisting disadvantaged customers of the Israel Electric Corporation, a council member of the “Influential Leadership in Higher Education” program (Ruad), and a board member of the NGO "Kav Mashve".

In the past, Mariam also held several public roles, including:
Member of the National Insurance Institute Council, member of the Employment Service Council, member of the Inter-Ministerial Follow-up Committee for Promoting Employment among Ethiopian Israelis, board member representing the Ministry of Economy at ASHRA – The Israel Foreign Trade Risks Insurance Corporation Ltd., member of the 2019 Health Basket Expansion Committee, and member of the Committee for Promoting Employment Towards 2030.

Adv. Kabaha holds an LL.B. from Haifa University and an M.A. in Public Policy from the Hebrew University.

In September 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy by the Open University in recognition of her social and public contributions.