Officer Bios

Lea Theodore (President)

Dr. Lea A. Theodore is a Professor in the Derner School of Psychology. Prior to Adelphi, she served as Professor and Director of the graduate program in School Psychology at the College of William and Mary.  Her career focus has been on promoting science, practice, and policy surrounding the development of effective and efficient intervention strategies to improve student academic and behavioral functioning. Dr. Theodore has published scores of professional articles, chapters, and books, and has conducted invited keynote addresses, peer-reviewed presentations, and in-service presentations at local, state, national, and international venues.

Prior to serving as President, Lea held the role of VP of Collective Bargaining and worked to gather feedback and to prepare our negotiations team for Spring 2023 negotiations. She is excited to continue serving the faculty as President.

Nathan Ross (First vice president)

Nathan Ross is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the General Studies Learning Community. He came to Adelphi from Oklahoma City University, where he was a Professor of Philosophy. He also served for three years as a President of the AAUP advisory chapter at that university. He does research on the history of philosophy, political philosophy and critical theory. He started service for the chapter when he was elected as a representative of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2022 and served on the negotiation team starting that summer. 

Abraham Levinson (Second vice president)

Abraham came to Adelphi after a successful career with the NYC Fire Department where he rose to the rank of EMS Captain. His career cut short due to injury, Abraham put his education to work and landed in the CPCS emergency management programs. Since February 2017 Abraham has been involved with the AAUP chapter starting as a member of the ASC and eventually service as secretary and now second vice president. Abraham brings with him a strong knowledge of labor rights as well as the experience of collective bargaining and the grievance process.

Cem Karatas (Treasurer)

Cem Karatas is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Economics at Robert B. Willumstad School of Business where he serves as the Director of AACSB Accreditation and the Chair of the Continuous Improvement Committee. Before joining Adelphi University, he worked in six different universities in the US either as an adjunct professor or as a teaching assistant. His professional experience includes working in a reserve bank, military, and an NSF affiliated research center. He contributes to the Finance Literature in the areas of Behavioral Finance, Climate Finance, and Initial Public Offerings.

Chana Etengoff (Secretary)

Chana Etengoff is an Associate Professor at the Derner School of Psychology. First arriving at Adelphi in 2017, Chana has been an active union member from the start. Her research focuses on LGBTQ+ rights, multiple minority stress and intersectionality. She brings this focus with her to our union work, collaborating with campus partners to make Adelphi a safer and more equitable workplace for all.