“Dr. Sutton always finds creative ways to make history relevant to today’s students,” said Marian Stoltz-Loike, dean of LCW and Touro’s vice president of online education. “Not only is that true with regard to her work in the classroom, but also through her scholarly publications and various educational activities.”

The AOJT chose to award Dr. Sutton for her “contribution to the furtherance of Jewish academic scholarship which is clearly evident in your lectures, writings and enthusiasm of your students,” according to the letter the organization sent informing her of the honor.

An expert on the Holocaust, Dr. Sutton has taught at Touro since 2006 and is the director of the honors program at LCW. She serves on the faculty senate and the Women’s Leadership Council at Touro College, and established the Touro chapter of the National History Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta. Previously, Dr. Sutton served as the national director of the Braun Holocaust Center at the Anti-Defamation League and won a Teacher of the Year award in 1991 when she taught in the Chicago Public School system. She published her first book, “The Massacre of the Jews of Lithuania,” in 2008.

“With so many fine educators throughout the city who give everything they have to their students, I’m honored to have been chosen amongst such a talented, dedicated group,” said Dr. Sutton. “I’ve always tried to connect with my students in a way that is mutually rewarding and I’m so appreciative that Touro has afforded me this opportunity.”

This is the third time in three years the AOJT has honored a member of the Touro staff. Like Dr. Sutton, Dr. Ronald Lehrer, the associate dean and chair of the Graduate Studies in Education and Special Education, was presented with the Educational Alliance Award, and Dr. Anthony Polemeni, the vice president of Touro’s Division of Graduate Studies, received the organization’s Higher Education Distinguished Leadership Award, both in 2010.

Founded in 1963, the AOJT promotes the welfare of the Orthodox Jewish personnel employed by the New York City School system; provides a forum for the exchange of cultural, social and professional affairs of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers; and promotes an atmosphere of religious and racial understanding among all teachers and their students regardless of race, religion or natural origin.

The Lander College for Women is an undergraduate division of Touro, a student-centered college located in midtown Manhattan where Jewish women follow a rigorous academic program as they pursue their baccalaureate degrees, while continuing and deepening their Torah education and commitment.