For Shai Kopitnikoff and Tzuri Merzel, the decision to pursue a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology at Touro University’s School of Health Sciences was more than just an academic choice—it was a career-defining step that would ultimately lead them to influential roles at the Orthodox Union (OU). Today, both professionals apply the knowledge, research, and methodologies they gained at Touro to shape the human resources landscape at one of the most prominent Jewish nonprofit organizations in the world. Shai, who attended Touro’s Lander College for Men for his undergraduate degree, and Tzuri, who earned his bachelor’s at Yeshiva University, graduated from Touro’s I-O Psychology program in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Now, they work together in the human resources department at the OU, where Shai serves as assistant director of talent development and director of the OU executive fellowship, and Tzuri is a talent acquisition manager. In their respective roles, Shai focuses on the development and retention of employees, helping OU staff maximize their potential, while Tzuri leads the hiring and recruitment efforts across multiple departments. “We are tasked with the overall talent in the organization,” Tzuri said. “That starts with me trying to find the most highly qualified people who not only have the skills today but are also vessels for Shai to take them and continue molding them into integral parts of this organization.” A Combination of Theory and Practice Reflecting on his time at Touro, Shai emphasized how the program’s structure provided both theoretical knowledge and practical application. “We both took job analysis courses, worked on performance appraisals, and learned about competency modeling,” he said. “That common foundation allows us to be on the same page when it comes to identifying talent and ensuring employees have the tools to succeed.” Shai credited the close mentorship he received at Touro for setting him on his professional path. “I had the opportunity to be published with Dr. Ben Elman, the head of the program at the time, and to this day, we still keep in touch,” he said. “Dr. Elman recommended me for my first part-time role at the OU while I was in grad school, which helped me get a foot in the door.” Tzuri said that Touro was instrumental in launching his career, as well. “I found out about my first job in the I-O psychology field, where I worked for over eight years, through an email from Touro,” he said. “That opportunity allowed me to build the necessary skills to transition to the OU.” One tangible impact his education had on his career came from a class he took on job analyses, a systematic process that involves studying a job to identify its tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications, using quantitative and qualitative data. As part of the course, students learned how to analyze a job and break it down to its finer parts, in part by doing a job analysis on a position of their choosing. “When I interviewed for my first job, I actually knew what I was talking about and had experience in something very few practitioners even have,” Tzuri said. “Even when not performing the official steps of job analysis, it gives us a better perspective than the average employee—or even HR practitioner—when thinking about job qualifications and assessment tools to measure candidates. Human […]