Biography

Ruth Best has an Ed. D with a concentration in Teacher Leadership from Walden University, a Master of Science in Education (Honors) from City College of New York, a Master of Business Administration, Financial Management from Pace University, and a Bachelor of Science from Concordia College.

Best started her career in financial services and banking (Bank Leumi USA, Ford Motor Credit Company) as a business analyst and mid-level manager, before leaving corporate America, to become a New York City Teaching Fellow, where she worked in the South Bronx as a Special Education teacher. She later served as a Citywide District 75 mentor and coach for beginning teachers at schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and taught undergraduate level accounting, marketing, and statistics courses at Metropolitan College of New York.

Staff development and mentoring were the catalysts to my transitioning fully to higher education in 2007. I was recruited to serve as Director of Induction, The New Teacher Residency Program, Mercy College – a partnership (now defunct) with the New York City Department of Education.

Prior to joining Touro College’s Graduate School of Education in 2014, Best was involved in launching the online program at The College of Westchester, as founding Dean of Faculty Development and Instructional Design. She was also an Assistant Professor and taught courses in the School of Business, including Mathematical Concepts and Statistical Applications, Principles of Management, and Critical Issues in Business, and has served as Online Group Facilitator for graduate level courses in Management at the University of the West Indies, Open Campus.

Best has presented at several conferences including the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Online Learning Consortium International Conference, and Quality Matters Regional Conference. Her research interests include competency based learning, differentiated instruction, distance education, special education, and universal design for learning and instruction.

She is a member of Touro's Research Advisory Group and can provide assistance with research design, data analysis, and manuscript writing.