Dr. Lois Hecht Oppenheim is Professor Emerita of Politics and Global Studies at American Jewish University, where she taught for over twenty-five years (1991-2016). Prior to coming to AJU, Dr. Oppenheim was a Political Science professor at Whittier College (1976-1991). Her expertise is in comparative and global politics, with a focus on less developed countries, especially Latin America. Her country specialty, Chile, began when she did field research there during the presidency and military overthrow of Salvador Allende in the early 1970s. She has since traveled to and lived in Chile for extended periods of time, and has written three editions of her award-winning book, Politics in Chile. Her special interests also include democracy and democratization, women in politics, and the politics of food. She has held numerous awards and research grants, including two Fulbrights.

Sue Kapitanoff, Ph.D. is Chair of the Department of Psychology and has been at AJU since 1992.

Dr. Kapitanoff has worked closely with students on the Prejudice Awareness Summit, an event originated by Jewish Women’s International and that the university has hosted for 20 consecutive years. The Summit brings to the campus hundreds of Los Angeles Unified School District Middle School students for a daylong session on fostering tolerance among youth of various ethnic backgrounds.

Dr. Kapitanoff created the curriculum for the Sid B. Levine Service Learning Program, a four-year undergraduate requirement that instills in students the importance of giving back to the community through coursework as well as hands-on-field projects. 



She also serves on the board of the Valley Women’s Center, an outpatient alcohol and drug program.