Online Cybersecurity Master’s Faculty

Course Author

Nicole Becher is currently the Business Information Security Officer for S&P Global Platts, a leading provider of energy and commodities information and benchmark price assessments in the physical commodity markets. In this role, she works with both technology and business leadership to ensure security is built into the strategic plans of the organization, especially as new technology is deployed.

Prior to this role, she has been in the cybersecurity space for over 12 years working mostly as a consultant in technical offensive security capacities leading penetration testers, red teams, forensics, and incident responders.

She also worked on various policy initiatives, including cyber and regulatory policy for New York State Department of Financial Services. At NYSDFS, she helped draft the first-in-nation regulatory framework for assessing the cybersecurity of large and complex financial institutions and drafted the first-in-nation regulatory and licensing framework for bitcoin and virtual currency companies. Nicole is a member of the Virtual Commodities Association (VCA), where she co-leads the Custody & Cybersecurity Committee. The VCA is working to establish an industry-sponsored, self-regulatory organization for the U.S. virtual currency industry.

Nicole is also an adjunct instructor at New York University, where she teaches courses on offensive and defensive computer security, network security, web application security, and computer forensics. She is a project leader for OWASP DevSlop Project (Open Web Application Security Project).

Nicole has presented both technical talks and training, at various conferences around the world on topics related to her research interests. Since Nicole has held technical, leadership and policy roles, she has a very unique perspective in the information security space. She was a Cybersecurity fellow of New America, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, and was a fellow of the Madison Policy Forum, a cybersecurity-focused policy group bridging military, government, and industry.

She is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Nicole is a member of the Conservation Technology SMART Security Council and is very active in wildlife conservation technology and animal rescue.

MSIS, MBA
Practitioner-in-Residence

Lev Feldman is principal security TPM (technical program manager) at Amazon Web Services. He is an accomplished information security executive with over 20 years of expertise gained at large global enterprises: MetLife, Marsh Inc, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney and Citibank Inc. Before joining Amazon, he served as senior vice president at the CISO Office of Citigroup, one of the largest systemically important financial institutions (SIFI). Lev holds an MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix and an M.S. in Information Systems from the Stevens Institute of Technology. He holds the following industry certifications: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) by ISACA; Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) and Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) by ISC²; Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) by CSA; AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

CISA, CFE
Instructor

David Imre is the head of information technology audit for the Americas division of a top 20 global bank and has over 15 years of internal and external audit experience, primarily focusing on the financial services sector and other highly regulated industries. Over the years, he has developed expertise related to risks and controls involved in securing information technology and protecting information assets. He is currently an adjunct professor teaching risk management and cybersecurity in YU’s Katz School’s MS in Cybersecurity program.

David holds the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE) credentials, in addition to a BS in computer science and business and an MS in applied mathematics.

Adjunct Professor

Evan Millman is a seasoned professional with a love for learning that led him to become an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University. At YU, Mr. Millman has taught and developed the Cybersecurity Bootcamp Bridge program. He is also expected to teach other courses within the cybersecurity master’s program.

Evan currently works as a full time information security engineer at a large global law firm. Prior to working at the law firm, Evan has had several security- and technology-focused positions in both the telecommunications and finance industries.

Mr. Millman received his bachelor’s degree in social sciences from SUNY University at Buffalo and his master’s degree in cybersecurity from the University of Delaware. Mr. Millman also holds several technology and security certifications including his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching, CompTIA Security+, and CompTIA Network+.

Evan is happily married to his wife Nikki, with whom he lives in Manhattan. The couple welcomed the birth of their first child, Ryder, in December 2020. When not working, teaching or spending time with his family, Evan can be seen running in Central Park, at Yankees games, skiing out west or out in the city enjoying live music.

Adjunct Professor

Bill is a retired law enforcement officer with over 20 years in the civilian and military justice systems. He has been recognized as a subject matter expert in federal military court. Bill has obtained many certifications, such as EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE) by the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists, as Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE), and as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Bill has traveled worldwide and worked with the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, La Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale, Bahrain State Police, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, and many other foreign governments regarding the handling and processing of digital evidence and the creation of digital investigation units and digital evidence processing facilities. Bill published "Learn Computer Forensics: A beginner's guide to searching, analyzing, and securing digital evidence" in April 2020 with Packt Publishing.

JD
Director of MS in Cybersecurity

David Schwed is the global head of digital assets technology at BNY Mellon. He has over 20 years of experience in IT, IS and risk management, and has built frameworks for information technology and information security from the ground up for major Fortune 200 companies in the financial sector, including Bank of New York Mellon, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup. With Citigroup, he led global IT audits to ensure compliance with a complex landscape of regulations that included SOX and GLBA. As chief information security officer for Galaxy Digital, a diversified merchant bank dedicated to digital assets and the blockchain technology industry, he led the vision, strategy and execution for information security while building out the IT infrastructure. He is co-founder, CIO and general counsel of MASS Communications, a leading connectivity and telecom management provider which was acquired by a Fortune 500 Telecommunications company. He holds a JD from Hofstra University School of Law and is a member of the New York Bar. He holds the following industry certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE); Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP); Certified Ethereum Professional (CEP); Certified DeFi Expert; and Certified Blockchain Security Professional. He has taught Architecture of Secure Operating Systems, Applications, and Devices Leading Technology Organizations.

MA
Program Director

Sivan Tehila, a cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur, is director of the in-person and online cybersecurity master’s programs at Yeshiva University’s Katz School of Science and Health.

During a 10-year career in intelligence and cybersecurity in the Israel Defense Forces, Sivan served as an intelligence officer, CISO of the Research and Analysis Division and head of the Information Security Department of the Intelligence Corps. After leaving the military, she joined RAFAEL, an Israeli defense company, as an information security officer and a profiler. She then shifted her career to securing critical national infrastructure at the Israel Railways. Since 2019, she has been director of solutions architecture at Perimeter 81, a cloud and network security company.

Sivan has dedicated herself to promoting women in cybersecurity. She is the founder of Cyber Ladies NYC, a fierce troupe of women innovators who are all driven and accomplished in tech and cybersecurity, and a mentor at the Manhattan High School for Girls where she developed a unique cybersecurity program. She was recognized as a 2020 Woman to Watch in IT Security, and in June 2021 she led a team of cybersecurity students who won first place in ISACA’s annual Cybersecurity Challenge.

Sivan teaches the course Cybersecurity Audit, Assessment, and Testing. She holds an M.A. in business development and consulting from the University of Haifa and a B.A. in political science and criminology from Bar-Ilan University, as well as a CISO certificate from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

DM
Instructor

Aleksandr Zhuk is a vice president of information security at Amalgamated Bank. Aleksandr has 20+ years of experience delivering business value in Fortune 100 financial services and startup organizations. He is the creator and co-founder of Business Relationship Management Institute, a go-to source of professional learning and a community catalyst for more than 20,000 BRM professionals in 40 countries around the world. Aleksandr holds a doctor of management (DM) in management and organizational leadership and has taught graduate courses in leadership strategies. He has published numerous articles on the topics of IT and business management. He holds BRMP, CISM, CISSP, CRISC, CSM, ITIL Expert and other leading professional certifications.