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Guest Speakers

Guest Speakers

New York City is a vital center of innovative activities in both technology and communications.

The people who generate ideas, start businesses, and spark the area’s technological growth are experts and forward thinkers in their fields. Many are invited to speak to our students as part of a robust guest speaker program that brings industry leaders into Touro GST classrooms every semester, not only connecting our students with the latest industry trends, but giving them networking opportunities that are priceless as they start their careers.

We learn from industry experts!

Master of Science in Information Systems

Mikhail Gershkovich

Vice President at Deloitte

Mikhail Gershkovich will be the guest speaker for Professor Braj Agawal’s class, MSIN 627- Multi-Dimensional Analytics & Visualization on April 27, 2023.

Mikhail Gershkovich is the Vice President at Deloitte. The topic that will be discussed is Data Analytics/Data Bases/Business Intelligence - Current Technology Market Place.

Dr. Jay Liebowitz

John Hopkins University

Dr. Jay Liebowitz will speak in Professor Sarah Chandler's class, MDAN 623 - Statistics for Data Analytics on Tuesday, April 25.

Dr. Jay Liebowitz is a Dr./Professor at John Hopkins University. The topic that will be discussed is Deceptive Statistics - Statistics may be deceptive. Asking the right questions regarding causation, correlation, and sample size is critical.

Dr. Anthony Fama

CEO, MBA, MS, CISSP

Dr. Anthony Fama CEO, MBA, MS, CISSP will be the guest speaker for Professor Albert Bina’s class, MSIN 647 – Computer Networking: Routing and Switching on Monday, April 24, 2023.

Dr. Anthonly Fama CEO, MBA, MS, CISSP will speak about Current issues in real-world security - Anatomy of attacks, types of hackers and how they conduct their attacks - Brief discussion on encryption algorithms - Protocols on WAN design and requirements for different business verticals - Routing protocols security weaknesses - Brief discussion on quantum computing and qubit.

Ilya Epshteyn

Sr. Manager in AWS Identity Solutions

Ilya Epshteyn will be the guest speaker for Professor Yosef Lehrman’s class, MSIN 643 – Advance Topics in Networking on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 6:30pm.

Ilya Epshteyn is a Sr. Manager in AWS Identity Solutions. The topic that will be discussed is AWS IAM - Amazon Web Services Identity & Access Management.

Russ Widener

Technical Solutions Architect at Cisco

Russ Widener will be the guest speaker for Professor Behrooz Khorsandi’s class, MSIN 641 – Advanced Cybersecurity and Internet Technologies on Monday, March 27, 2023, from 7:00pm – 8:00pm.

Russ Widener is currently a Technical Solutions Architect at Cisco. The topic that will be discussed is Zero Trust Architecture – Firewalls are great but leave a blind spot (lateral movement in an enterprise campus). Russ will discuss and demo how to compliment firewalls

Kelenda Allen-James

Technology Support Manger at St. HOPE Leadership Academy

Kelenda Allen-James was the guest speaker for Professor Martin Herskowitz’s class, MSIN 607 – Effective Oral and Written Communication for Managers on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

Kelenda Allen James is currently a Technology Support Manger at St. HOPE Leadership Academy. The topic that will be discussed is New Tech for Possible Integration – Evaluate Your Career Journey.

Mr. Anthony Fama

CEO, CSO, CISSP at Executive Technology Group

Mr. Anthony Fama was the guest speaker for Professor Albert Bina’s class, MSIN 647 - Computer Networking Routing and Switching ,on November 28th, 2022.

Mr. Anthony Fama is currently the CEO, CSO, CISSP at Executive Technology Group. The topic that was discussed was Current issues in real world security.

Ms. Sherisse Brown

IT services & training at Weill Cornell Medicine

Ms. Sherisse Brown will be the guest speaker for Professor Martin Herskowitz’s class, MSIN 607 - Effective Oral and Written Communication for Managers, on November 23rd, 2022.

Sherisse Brown is currently working in IT services & training at Weill Cornell Medicine. The topic to be discussed is her Career Journey - meeting the IT needs of a diverse population in an academic setting.

Mr. Anthony Kelly

Head of Information Technology at MEKANISH

Mr. Anthony Kelly was the guest speaker for Professor Martin Herskowitz’s class, MSIN 607 - Effective Oral and Written Communication for Managers, on November 2nd, 2022.

Mr. Anthony Kelly is currently the Head of Information Technology at MEKANISH. The topic that was discussed was Cultivating partnerships, and building lasting relationships.

Master of Arts in Web and Multimedia Design

Pat Aievoli

Associate Professor at LIU Post Campus

Pat Aievoli will be the guest speaker for Professor Ryan Seslow’s class, WMM 600 – Design Thinking & Methodology on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 6:30pm.

Pat Aievoli is currently an Associate Professor at LIU Post Campus. The topic that will be discussed is How Ai and Design will integrate into the future.

Ms. Pilar Newton-Katz

Animator / Illustrator / Author at PilarToons

Ms. Pilar Newton-Katz will be the guest speaker for Professor Emmett Goodman’s class, WMM 640 - Principles of 2D Animation, on December 7th, 2022.

Ms. Pilar Newton-Katz is currently the Animator / Illustrator / Author at PilarToons, LLC. The topic to be discussed is Animation Culture in New York City.

Mr. Kannan Sankaran

Artificial Intelligence Engineer at Deutsche bank

Mr. Kannan Sankaran will be the guest speaker for Professor Lina Zuur’s class, WMM 601 - UX/UI Design Principles, on November 30th, 2022.

Mr. Kannan Sankaran is currently the Artificial Intelligence Engineer at Deutsche bank. The topic to be discussed is The role of UX designers in a sprint process.

Ms. Polina Bulman

Self-Employed Family Photographer

Ms. Polina Bulman will be the guest speaker for Professor Jolie Ruelle's class, WMMN 660 Digital Photography for Designers, on April 28th, 2022.

Ms. Polina Bulman is currently a Self-Employed Family Photographer. The discussion will be about photography.

Mr. Ali Berk Uyanik

UX/UI Designer at Groove Jones

Mr. Ali Berk Uyanik will be the guest speaker for Professor Joseph LoCicero’s class, WMMN 625 Corporate Design, on March 31st, 2022.

Mr. Ali Berk Uyanik is currently a UX/UI Designer at Groove Jones. The discussion will be about using UX/UI Skills for Corporate Design. This will include going from a student to a professional designer.

Ms. Emily Sherman

UX/UI Designer

Ms. Emily Sherman will be the guest speaker for Professor Ilene Silverberg's class, WMMN 601 UX/UI Design Principles, on March 16th.

Ms Emily Sherman is currently a UX/UI Designer.

Ms. Jenine Lurie

Digital Innovation Leader in Experience Strategy and Design at Deloitte

Ms. Jenine Lurie was the guest speaker for Professor Valerie Taylor’s class, WMMN 614 Interaction Design for Mobile, on March 8th, 2022.

Ms. Jenine Lurie is currently a Digital Innovation Leader in Experience Strategy and Design at Deloitte. The discussion will include customer journeys and user research.

Master of Science in Instructional Technology

Dr. Jerald Cole

Professor at Harvard University

Dr. Jerald Cole will be the guest speaker for Professor Jacob Gutnicki’s class, EDIN 652 – Assistive & Special Needs Technology on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

Dr. Jerald Cole is currently a Professor at Harvard University. The topic that will be discussed is Using AI & Gaming Technology to Support Special Needs Students.

Jessica Wenke

Learning and Development Specialist at Papa Murphy’s International

Jessica Wenke will be the guest speaker for Professor Nicolette Valenti’s class, EDIN 600 – Adult Learning Strategies & Theories on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Jessica Wenke is currently a Learning and Development Specialist at Papa Murphy’s International. The topic that will be discussed is Adult learning in the Digital Age and Andragogy in education and corporate environments.

Kelsey Derringer

Head of Education at Code Joy

Kelsey Derringer will speak in Professor Mark Gura's class, EDIN 653 - Technology Intergration for School Leaders on Thursday, March 30, 2023.

Keley Derringer is the Head of Education at Code Joy. The topic that will be discussed is Remote Students Coding and Robotics Instruction - Background, explanation, and demonstration of a popular program to teach k-12 Students Coding remotely.

Jarrett Carter

Associate Vice President, Integrative Learning Design at University of Maryland, Global Campus

Jarrett Carter will be the guest speaker for Professor Holly Owens class, EDIN 623 – Foundations of Instructional Design on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

Jarrett Carter is currently an Associate Vice President, Integrative Learning Design at University of Maryland, Global Campus. The topic that will be discussed is What is Integrative Learning Design – Path to becoming a VP at an Online Institution.

Mark H. Balto

Assistant Librarian at Touro University Libraries

Mark H. Balto, MLS, MA, PhD will be the guest speaker for Dean Herskowitz’s class, EDIN 617 – Foundations of Instructional Technology on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

Mark H. Balto is currently an Assistant Librarian at Touro University Libraries. The topic that will be discussed is How to navigate Touro Library to find resources for Final presentation.

Dr. Michael Conenna

NYCDOE at Borough Instructional Lead

Dr. Michael Conenna will be the guest speaker for Professor Jacob Gutnicki’s class, EDIN 670 – The Educational Technology Specialist on Monday March 27, 2023, at 6:35pm.

Dr. Michael Conenna is currently a NYCDOE at Borough Instructional Lead. The topic that will be discussed is Supporting Science – Instruction with Technology Tools.

Ms. Ashley Lonie

Founder and CEO of Teamed

Ms. Ashley Lonie will be the guest speaker for Professor Patricia Baia’s class, EDIN 646 Distance Learning Applications, on December 1st, 2022.

Ms. Ashley Lonie is currently a Founder and CEO of Teamed. The discussion will be about staffing Agency/Resources/Internships and how to market yourself and resources to help them get a job.

Dr. Jerald Cole

Professor at Harvard University

Dr. Jerald Cole was the guest speaker for Professor Jacob Gutnicki’s class, EDIN 670 - The Educational Technology Specialist, on November 28th, 2022.

Dr. Jerald Cole is currently a Professor at Harvard University. The topic that was discussed was Exploring Emerging Technologies for the Classroom.