Esther Raizen was born in Israel and came to the US in 1982. She holds an MA in Jewish History from Tel Aviv University (1982) and a PhD in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin (1987). She has been invested in language pedagogy and technology-enhanced instruction since the early 1990s. At UT she has taught Modern and Classical Hebrew language courses and occasional Hebrew literature courses. Dr. Raizen has served as undergraduate and graduate advisor for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and as Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies from 2006 to 2010. She is the Principal Investigator on a number of grants, among them the ROTC Language and Culture Project grant and the Flagship Zero to Two grant, both of which involve instruction in critical languages.
Lauren Elise Apter was born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in Plan II Honors and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas (1996), an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago (2000), and a PhD in History from the University of Texas (2008). She has worked in the Photo Archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and at Spertus Museum in Chicago. Dr. Apter has studied Holocaust and memory, Jewish migration in the twentieth century, and empire and gender.
Kathy Thatcher was born and raised in Avon, Ohio. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University (1975), an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin (2010), and Certification as a Research Administrator from the Research Administration Certification Council (2009). At UT she has worked for University Publications, Academic Computing and Information Technology Services (ACITS), the Community College Leadership Program’s Center for Community College Student Engagement, and the Section of Neurobiology. Kathy has 10 years of experience in research administration at UT Austin with both foundation and federal sponsors.
Melanie Morgan is Foundations Specialist in the College of Liberal Arts. Working under the Office of Research, Melanie provides support to faculty and graduate students seeking foundation funding by researching grant opportunities, providing proposal writing support and acting as a liason between grant seekers, foundations, and the UT development offices. Melanie received her doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Texas in May of 2011, and has worked in development at both the University of Texas and the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.
Dorothy L. Gebauer Building, 2nd Floor
The University of Texas at Austin
Office Phone: 512-232-2094
College of Liberal Arts
Office of the Associate Dean for Research
116 Inner Campus Drive Stop G6000
Austin, TX 78712-1257
