Meet our Team
Ultimate Palestine Board of Directors
Ben SpearsBoard Chair
Ben started playing Ultimate in Washington, DC, at George Washington University. After graduation, he joined club team "Chain Lightning" and won a UPA national championship in 2009. Ben started coaching in 2005 for the Georgia Tech women's team and soon became certified in both coaching and observing. He has played and coached in the USA and internationally, including in the Middle East. While living in Bethlehem and Jerusalem 2014-2016, Ben helped develop the sport in Palestine by training coaches and developing local youth leadership. Ben is the current president of the Ultimate Palestine Partnership board, leveraging resources from the US and around the globe in support of Palestinian leadership and Ultimate Palestine activities.
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Zane WolfangBoard Member
Zane first played competitive ultimate as a freshman at the University of Delaware in the United States, winning a sectional championship with Sideshow in 2012. He started playing and coaching with Ultimate Palestine when he moved to Bethlehem in 2016, and has served as a member of the Ultimate Palestine Partnership executive board since leaving Palestine in 2018. Zane has also played and coached frisbee in Iraq, Jordan, and the UAE, and is committed to the equitable and spirited advancement of ultimate in Palestine and more broadly across the Middle East and Africa. He is particularly interested in the development of equitable, competitive and gender-inclusive ultimate programming at the youth, high school and university levels.
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Daniel BannouraBoard Member
Daniel started playing Ultimate during his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida in 2008. He founded Ultimate Palestine in the summer of 2015, serving as president for 5 consecutive years until stepping down prior to the 2020 elections. Daniel oversaw the expansion of Ultimate Palestine from a small practice in Beit Sahour into the formation of practices all over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as the adoption of Ultimate by seven Palestinian clubs. Under his tenure, Ultimate Palestine submitted applications for membership in the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) and recognition as an official athletic association by the Palestinian Olympic Commmittee. He has competed in a number of competitions and championships internationally and regionally, and has organized seven local tournaments and leagues. Daniel is a certified Ultimate coach through the GIZ Sport for Development
training, and has coached extensively at schools, clubs and clinics since 2015. As a board member, Daniel is focused on supporting the implementation of the vision and growth of Ultimate Palestine, and building partnerships globally that reflect the specific needs of the Palestinian ultimate community. |