Practical, Flexible: The Real World Starts Here!
All members of the faculty in Tiffin University’s School of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences come to the classroom with real-world experience. Along with this expertise come real connections that will enable you to find internships and job opportunities that can make an immediate impact. We always put you, the student, first, and want to provide you with an education for real life.
Below are brief biographies of just a few of our faculty, but they are representative of the kind of talent that Tiffin University has teaching in the classroom. At TU, we’re all about making it real!
Dr. Thomas M. Newcomb
Dean of the School of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences
B.A., J.D. University of Minnesota
Until January 20, 2005, Tom served as a Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and was the Senior Director for Combating Terrorism in the National Security Council. Before joining Tiffin University for the fall of 2005, he completed a fellowship at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
Over the course of a 25-year career in intelligence, Tom served at the Senior-Executive level in all three branches of government – as a legal advisor to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; an attorney in the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review in the U.S. Department of Justice; a counsel and subcommittee staff director on the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; an attorney with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); and, a CIA case officer and chief of station conducting Cold War, counter-terrorism, and war-zone operations in five CIA stations in Europe and Africa.
Tom began his federal service in Vietnam as a buck sergeant in the 101st Airborne infantry. He comes from a long line of preachers and closet phrenologists.
Dr. Jonathan Appel, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Psychology & Criminal Justice
B.A. Kent State University, Ohio
M.ED. Kent State University, Ohio
Ph.D. University of Akron, Ohio
Dr. Jonathan Appel has worked in the field of Behavioral Health for over 20 years. He has worked with individuals, groups, families, and organizations as a counselor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, program director, and as a consultant.
Dr. Appel has worked with a diverse range of populations and problems, including persons diagnosed with developmental disabilities, severe mental illness, and substance use disorders. He has designed, managed, and worked in clinical programs that have included clinical services for the mentally ill, couple and family therapy interventions, substance abuse assessment and treatment, dual diagnosis, forensic treatment services, court-ordered anger management services, career counseling, and employee assistance program (EAP) services. He has also provided counseling and psychotherapy in a private practice setting.
Dr. Appel received his B.A. in Psychology from Kent State University, a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling from Kent State University, and a Doctorate in Counseling (specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy with a cognate in Organizational Psychology) from The University of Akron.
In addition, Dr. Appel has a Diplomate in Psychotherapy and is a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a Certified Career Counselor, an Approved Clinical Supervisor, an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, as well as a Certified Forensic Counselor from the National Association of Forensic Counselors. He has also received training as a Red Cross Mental Health Disaster Worker, and a Critical Incident Trauma Responder.
He is a professional member of the International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, a Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and is an executive board member of the National Organization for Human Services – serving as its Education Chair.
Dr. Appel has presented nationally and internationally, and has taught at The University of Akron, Old Dominion University (Virginia), and as part of a faculty exchange program at The University of Kitakyushu in Kitakyushu, Japan. He has conducted research and/or applied work with organizations around stress, trauma and violence in the workplace, domestic violence and child abuse, employee burnout, and issues related to family-work balance.
He also co-authored a training curriculum in Domestic Violence for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is currently an editorial reviewer for the Family Relations Journal. His research interests include family violence, cultural competency, workplace violence, the mentally ill offender, and international issues in behavioral health.
Dr. Appel is currently licensed in Ohio as an Independent Marriage and Family Therapist, a Supervising Professional Clinical Counselor, and as an Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor.
Dr. Elizabeth Athaide-Victor,
Ph.D.
Professor of Criminal Justice and Psychology
B.A. Anna Maria College
M.A. Middle Tennessee State University
Ph.D. The University of Toledo
Dr. Victor began her career with a plan to consistently combine academics and applied service because she truly believes that one cannot teach without “doing.” As a result, she has been able to monitor both the extension of her field in academia, as well as its application in the real world. She feels this best enables her to educate her students, and prepare them for the challenges they will encounter in their careers. During all levels of her own education, Dr. Victor has worked in the field.
Born and raised in Southeastern Massachusetts, she started in the late 1970s working for the Department of Youth Services (DYS) for the States of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. After leaving DYS, she worked in Boston for a suicide prevention center.
During college, both undergraduate and graduate, she also worked for a juvenile lock-up facility, a hunger-relief program, volunteered in programs specializing in mental retardation, autism and in substance abuse rehabilitation programs. As part of her pre-Doctoral program, Dr. Victor studied with Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg at Harvard University, doing research on moral reasoning and attribution of responsibility. She worked for several years at a Sleep Disorders Center, a Community Mental Health Center, and a Sexual Disorders Center, all located in Toledo.
Dr. Victor joined the faculty of Tiffin University in 1989. She has conducted abundant research on jury behavior, jury cognitive processing, child sexual abuse litigation, toxic tort litigation, juror competence, and juror bias. She was the first Dean of the School of Criminal Justice, and belongs to several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Association for Women in Psychology, the Association of Hispanic Psychologists, and the American Society of Criminology. She is a Board Certified Forensic Examiner.
Professor Keith N. Haley
Professor of Criminal Justice
B.S. Wright State University
M.S. Michigan State University
Keith Haley is Professor of Criminal Justice, holding a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. Professor Haley has served as a U.S. Marine, municipal police officer, professor and administrator in several colleges and universities, state agency head of a peace officer standards and training commission, and as an organizational consultant and trainer.
Professor Haley has written and published many papers, articles, and book chapters, and is the author, co-author, and editor of 19 published books, one of which has been translated into Romanian. His research interests are varied, but currently focus on international justice systems, illegal immigration, video surveillance systems, and the firearms debate.