Mara Pernick, who has previous experience at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Arizona Chamber of Commerce, has been named the new CEO of the Arizona Israel Technology Alliance, the group announced Monday.
Pernick takes over for Leib Bolel, AITA’s founder, who will continue to serve as president and a member of the group’s board of directors. Bolel was named a partner at Scottsdale’s Grayhawk Capital in March.
“We are delighted to have Mara lead this organization,” Bolel said in a statement. “Her passion for both Arizona and Israel combined with her vast experience in working with international companies out of Israel and beyond makes her the perfect fit.”
AITA was founded in 2018 with the goal of strengthening trade and investment between Israel and the Grand Canyon State. Its most recent impact in the region came in June when CP Technologies opened its new headquarters in Prescott; CP Technologies is owned by an Israeli company called Aeronautics.
Pernick comes to the AITA helm after serving as the executive director of invisionAZ, a nonprofit organization working to boost Arizona’s technology ecosystem. InvisionAZ was created in 2017 and previously announced plans to organize a $50 million investment fund, with most of that already secured according to an August filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Before working at invisionAZ, Pernick was previously the vice president of global innovation at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and a vice president of business development at GPEC.
“I have witnessed what AITA has accomplished to date as they worked tirelessly to strengthen the connection between Israel and Arizona,” Pernick said in a statement. “I look forward to working with its team and board members to continue these outcomes and take the organization forward.”
Pernick is also a partner at Innovative Connections, according to her LinkedIn profile, a firm working to provide Covid-19 testing in Arizona during the pandemic. Additionally, Pernick works as the director of community development at Phoenix-based Cancer Fund, a venture capital fund investing in companies researching cancer therapies.
