Leadership

Jeffrey Herbst

President

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst is the fourth president of American Jewish University.  Prior to joining AJU, Dr. Herbst was president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, he was president of Colgate University, where among other accomplishments he is credited with helping the university complete its nearly half-billion-dollar fundraising campaign, leading the development and initial implementation of a university-wide strategic plan, and increasing the diversity and academic caliber of its educational programming.

Additionally, Dr. Herbst was a Senior Fellow at the Brenthurst Foundation, was a two-time Fulbright Scholar, and is currently a trustee of Freedom House.  He has also served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and as a professor of political science at Miami University in Ohio and taught at Princeton University for almost two decades.

Dr. Herbst earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.” In addition to many books and articles, he has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other digital and print publications around the world.

Adrian Breitfeld

Vice President of Finance and Administration 
Chief Financial Officer

Adrian Breitfeld leads the university’s accounting and finance operations and brings to AJU more than a decade of finance and accounting experience within the non-profit and Jewish communal sector.  Mr. Breitfeld has an extensive background in accounting, financial planning, management, and strategy in changing landscapes.

Mr. Breitfeld was previously the Chief Financial Officer of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco where he worked to align financial resources to strategic priorities while leading and developing a tactical response to guiding the organization through its goals. He is also a graduate of the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California, holding an MBA as well as an M.A. in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion

Catherine Schneider

Vice President for Advancement
Chief Development Officer

Catherine Schneider is a seasoned fundraising and nonprofit professional, with over twenty years of experience transforming organizations through development, stewardship, and community relations.  Ms. Schneider was previously the Executive Vice President, Donor Experience at The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. During her tenure at The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Schneider also held the positions of Associate Chief Development Officer and Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Community Engagement. Prior to her time at the Federation, she held leadership and development roles at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Progressive Jewish Alliance, and Beit T’Shuvah. 

Ms. Schneider holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management from the Graduate School of Nonprofit Management at American Jewish University, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Vice President
Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair, Ziegler School

Rabbi Artson graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1981 with a B.A. in History and Literature. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary with an M.A. in Jewish Studies in 1988, and a Doctor of Hebrew Letters in 2010 from Hebrew Union College, Magnin School of Graduate Studies.

Following ordination in 1988, Rabbi Artson led a congregation in Mission Viejo, which he helped grow from 200 to 600 family units. In 1998 he moved to L.A. as the Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

In 1999, a year after the Ziegler School was established as an ordaining seminary, the founding dean made aliyah. AJU President at the time, Dr. Robert Wexler, invited Rabbi Artson to breakfast to offer him the position of Dean of the Rabbinical School. The proposition was irresistible and has allowed Rabbi Artson to serve as one of the leaders of Conservative Judaism, and to show his love for rabbis and rabbinical students.

Artson is the author of seven books. His most recent is The Gift of Soul: Spiritual Resources for Leadership & Mentoring.

Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh

Vice President for Jewish Engagement and Director of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys

Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh is Vice President for Jewish Engagement at American Jewish University, where she directs the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, and supervises BCI - Brandeis Collegiate Institute, AJU Community Mikveh, and Marriage for Life and Opening Doors courses. Ordained at Hebrew Union College-JIR, Rabbi Rabizadeh is thrilled to contribute her culture-merging sensibility towards creating meaningful and inclusive Jewish experiences at American Jewish University. 

She previously served as director of student life at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Hillel and the Simha and Sara Lainer Senior Jewish Educator, and was also a Jewish Emergent Network Fellow at The Kitchen in San Francisco, as well as a Milken Community High School faculty member. 

Rabbi Rabizadeh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Hebrew from Boston University, and a master’s degree in Jewish education and Hebrew literature from HUC-JIR.

Michelle Starkman

Vice President of Communications

Michelle Starkman was appointed AJU’s Vice President of Communications in March 2020. In this position, Michelle is responsible for leading the university’s internal and external communications strategies, including media relations. Michelle also oversees digital content, manages the University’s marketing strategy and advertising, and serves on the University’s senior team. Prior to joining AJU in 2017, Michelle served as Admissions and Marketing Director at a local Jewish day school, and as the Director of Marketing and Communications for a local management consulting firm.

Michelle holds an MBA from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business, and an M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Northridge.

Robbie Totten

Chief Academic Officer and Associate Professor of Politics & Global Studies

Dr. Robbie Totten was appointed in 2018 as AJU's Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer to oversee the administration of the university's degree-granting academic programs. He also serves as AJU's Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for the University's relationship with its accrediting body, the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). He joined AJU in 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Politics & Global Studies and has since been promoted to Associate Professor status.  

He has previously held positions as a Visiting Assistant International Relations Professor at UCSB, a Political Science Lecturer at UCLA, and a pre-doctoral fellow at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD. Professor Totten’s research has appeared in academic journals and public policy edited volumes, and it has centered on higher education administration, international relations and security, U.S. immigration policy, and the American Founding.

Dr. Totten earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from UCLA.

Aaron Goldberg

Vice President and Director of Camp Alonim

Aaron has been with Camp Alonim since 2014, first as an Assistant Director in charge of teen and community programs and then as the Associate Director in charge of managing day-to-day camp operations, specialty programming, and the staff experience. Most recently, in February of 2020, Aaron became the Camp Director and has been thrilled and humbled to continue to be part of the Camp Alonim community and family in this capacity. Jewish Summer Camp is a core piece of Aaron’s background and identity and has fueled his passion for helping campers and staff create their own unique connections to one another and to Judaism through experiential education.

Aaron grew up in Southern California, and starting at the ripe age of two spent over 20 summers at Gindling Hilltop Camp in Malibu as a camper, CIT, Counselor, and Head Counselor. Aaron received a B.A. in Anthropology with a Minor in Education from UC Berkeley and recently received his Master’s in Education from the American Jewish University. In addition to spending most of his summers at camp, Aaron spent some time working for Disney Cruises as a youth counselor, group supervisor, and children’s entertainment host in which he created and acted out scripted programs as one of over twenty different characters, such as a mad scientist, chef, magician, pirate, and detective. After spending time at sea and missing the land, Aaron was elated to return to his summer camp roots.