http://legacy.touro.edu/losangeles/faculty.asp
Faculty and Staff Bios
Cassi Alter, MA-CCC
- Cassi Alter has taught at TCLA for three years. A licensed speech-language pathologist with her own private practice and agency, Mrs. Alter also works with early childhood and elementary schools to implement speech and language intervention programs for a wide range of communication disorders. She also serves as supervisor to many MA students, and writes and speaks frequently on speech and language related topics.
Irina Bragin, Ph.D.
- A BA, MA, and Ph.D. graduate of UCLA, Dr. Bragin has taught at such LA educational landmarks as UCLA and UCLA School of Law, University of Judaism (now American Jewish University), and Shalhevet High School. She has been published in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, the Washington Post Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and Reader's Digest. Dr. Bragin teaches undergraduate English and Writing courses at TCLA.
Aaron Brownstein, Ph.D.
- Dr. Brownstein heads the Department of Institutional Research and teaches multiple psychology courses at TCLA each semester. Currently, Dr. Brownstein is conducting studies on (1) why some orthodox Jews go "off the derech" and (2) what resources are most commonly associated with personality traits.
Publications include:
Read, S. J., Monroe, B. M. Brownstein, A. L. Yang, Y., Chopra, G., & Miller, L. C. (2009). A Neural
Network Model of the Structure and Dynamics of Human Personality. Manuscript accepted for Publication in Psychological Review.
Brownstein, A. & Read, S. J. (2007). Situation models and memory: The effects of temporal and causal information on recall sequence. Memory. 15(7), 730-745.
Brownstein, A. L., Read, S. J., & Simon, D. (2004) Bias at the racetrack: Effects of individual expertise and task importance on pre-decision reevaluation of alternatives. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, 30(7), 891-904.
Brownstein, A. L. (2003) Biased predecision processing. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 545-568.
James Caufield, Ph.D.
- James Caufield received his Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has taught a variety of courses in composition and literature at Los Angeles Valley College, Loyola Marymount University, UCLA, and now TCLA. Dr. Caufield's work has been published in the Cambridge Quarterly, the James Joyce Quarterly, and Notes and Queries, and in the past year he has presented conference papers before the Joseph Conrad Society of America and the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association. Dr. Caufield is a member of the Modern Language Association (MLA), the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA), the North American Conference on British Studies (NACBS), and the North American Victorian Studies Association (NAVSA).
Lucien Chocron, Ph.D.
- A well known psychologist, Dr. Chocron specializes in adapting therapy techniques to religious clients. In addition to teaching at TCLA, Dr. Chocron currently directs the Nurith Community Counseling Center, lectures on parenting issues, and runs seminars on maintaining healthy relationships. A graduate of CSUN and Ryokan College, Dr. Chocron speaks four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Hebrew) and is a Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association as well as a long time member of the Multicultural Psychological Association, Golden Key Honors Society, and Psi-Chi Association, among others.
Bruce Gorman, CPA
- Bruce Gorman holds a B.S. in accounting from California State University, Los Angeles, and is a Certified Public Accountant who has worked for various industry leaders, including Fortune 300 companies. He has spent most of his career in the real estate industry. Currently, Mr. Gorman teaches accounting at TCLA and works as Controller for Capital Foresight, a property management company.
Rabbi Antony (Chanan) Gordon, LL.B., LL.M.
- Rabbi Gordon is a seasoned investment professional with over 20 years of Wall Street experience. He holds a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of the Witwatersrand Law School, respectively. After completing a travel fellowship as a Sir Abe Bailey Fellow at the London School of Economics, Rabbi Gordon received his LL.M. from Harvard Law School. Rabbi Gordon is a Fulbright Scholar, a Wexner Heritage Foundation Member, and Chairman of the Raoul Wallenberg Nominating Committee. Having worked at companies such as UBS and Morgan Stanley, Rabbi Gordon is currently Founder and Senior Managing Director of Stealth Capital Management, LLC. At TCLA, Rabbi Gordon teaches Jewish Business Ethics.
Morgan Hakimi, Ph.D.
- Dr. Morgan Hakimi teaches in the schools of Business and Psychology in Touro College Los Angeles. Her degree is in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Dr. Hakimi's areas of interest are leadership and cross cultural studies. Dr. Hakimi is the president of the Faculty Senate at Touro L.A.
David Kron, J.D.
- David Kron has taught at TCLA since its founding five years ago. He holds a J.D. degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Certificate in Business Management and Policy from the Wharton School. He received his Bachelors and Masters in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel College in Baltimore. Currently, Mr. Kron teaches courses in math, finance, and macroeconomics.
Dean Esther Lowy, Ph.D.
- Dr. Esther Lowy is the founding Dean of Touro College Los Angeles. Dr. Lowy received her doctorate from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University and her MBA from UCLA. She has served on the faculty of the City University of New York, California Polytechnic University at Pomona, and UCLA. Dr. Lowy was the recipient of many academic awards including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, a NATO Scholarship and an NSF traineeship. Dr. Lowy won first place in the United States National Bible Contest and third place in the International Bible Contest. She has been one of the innovators of the UCLA program in Overcoming Math Anxiety. In the business world, Dr. Lowy has served as president of Metropolitan Venture Capital Company and a director of various insurance and real estate companies. In addition to her responsibilities as Dean and Professor of Mathematics at TCLA, Dr. Lowy is actively involved in community affairs. Dr. Lowy is the mother of eight wonderful children, all of whom have studied in programs given by Touro College.
Michael Milligan, MBA
- Michael Milligan holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Hofstra University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He has served as portfolio manager, trader, and financial analyst, as well as teaching finance, investing, and accounting for the last five years. He also does volunteer work related to financial literacy, helping individuals understand their finances. Mr. Milligan was also a professional basketball player, for the Philadelphia 76ers. At TCLA, he teaches Corporate Finance.
Chaim Plotzker, Ph.D.
- Dr. Chaim Plotzker received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from New York University. Dr. Plotzker has taught at Fordham University and served as Head of High School at Newbridge School in Santa Monica. In addition to pedagogy, Dr. Plotzker has worked in finance and company management, and directed the Department of External Relations at the World Zionist Organization. Dr. Plotzker teaches courses in history, English, and speech.
Shoshana Robinson, LL.B., LL.M.
- A graduate of Harvard University, Hebrew University Law School, and University of Michigan Law School, Shoshana Robinson has taught at the University of Michigan, Brandeis Hillel Day School, and Whittier Law School. She specializes in human and children's rights law, and has worked at the National Council for the Child in Israel and at the Hebrew University Center for Human Rights.
Rabbi Hershy Ten, M.A.
- Rabbi Hershy Z. Ten is President of Bikur Cholim, a nonprofit health care organization providing more than 30 life-saving services and social support programs for children, adults, and families suffering from serious and life-threatening illness. Rabbi Ten received Semichah from Rabbi Tuvia Goldstein zt"l (Yeshiva Emek Halacha) and a Master's degree from Bernard Baruch College at the City University of New York. Rabbi Ten's academic areas of interest include Midrashim and early commentaries on Tanach. He is currently editing two never-before-published manuscripts (Torah commentaries) from the 13th—15th centuries.
Sylvia Lowe
- Sylvia Lowe, TCLA's part-time librarian, is a native Angelino who graduated from UCLA with a B.A., M.B.A., and M.L.I.S. She oversees the TCLA library, which currently holds 2,149 titles, 101 DVDs, 49 CD- ROMs and subscriptions to eleven journals. The library's collection's strongest areas are psychology, business, literature and Jewish studies.
Dean Esther Lowy, Ph.D.
- Dr. Esther Lowy is the founding Dean of Touro College Los Angeles. Dr. Lowy received her doctorate from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University and her MBA from UCLA. She has served on the faculty of the City University of New York, California Polytechnic University at Pomona, and UCLA. Dr. Lowy was the recipient of many academic awards including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, a NATO Scholarship and an NSF traineeship. Dr. Lowy won first place in the United States National Bible Contest and third place in the International Bible Contest. She has been one of the innovators of the UCLA program in Overcoming Math Anxiety. In the business world, Dr. Lowy has served as president of Metropolitan Venture Capital Company and a director of various insurance and real estate companies. In addition to her responsibilities as Dean and Professor of Mathematics at TCLA, Dr. Lowy is actively involved in community affairs. Dr. Lowy is the mother of eight wonderful children, all of whom have studied in programs given by Touro College.
Kamran Manuel
- Kamran Manuel is the Bursar at TCLA. He graduated from Touro College New York with a B.S. in Management, and has worked in accounting and sales at corporations such as B&H Multi Com, where under his leadership, the company increased sales tenfold. Mr. Manuel is a founding board member of Long Island Hebrew Academy.
Samira Miller
- Samira Miller is Director of Admissions at Touro College Los Angeles. She graduated from University of California, San Diego with a B.A. in Communications (Media) and minors in Psychology and Theatre. Mrs. Miller has a Master in Education (Leadership and Policy Studies) from California State University, Northridge. She finds working with Jewish students in the higher education setting a truly rewarding experience.
Talya Jankovits, MFA
- Talya Jankovits is the Assistant to the Dean at TCLA. After earning her B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from California State University Northridge, she went on to earn her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Mrs. Jankovits has taught high school English as well as graduate level courses in creative writing. She has also been published in literary magazines both online and in print.
Rivka Weinberg
- After graduating from Bais Yaakov Los Angeles, Rivka Weinberg attended Rika Breuer's Teachers Seminary in New York City. She then returned to sunny Southern California to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. After ten years as a high school science teacher and administrator, Mrs. Weinberg joined the Touro College Los Angeles staff in March 2005. She originally handled Admissions and Registration, but with the addition of the Director of Admissions to TCLA's staff, Rivka transitioned to working in Financial Aid, as well as continuing as Registrar.
Because of TCLA's relatively small student body, Mrs. Weinberg is able to individually counsel students and parents, allowing them to explore their various financial aid options and assisting them with the frequently-complex forms and procedures.