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Meet the Faculty

Meet the Cybersecurity Faculty members.

Fathima James

Dr. Fathima JamesAssociate Professor and Program Chair of Computer Information Technology

Dr. Fathima James has been working for the college since 2019. She earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering from MS University in India, a Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering at Anna University in India, a second Master of Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Cyber Security Management of Smart Home Internet-of-Things from The University of Missouri at Kansas City. Her areas of expertise include computer networking, IoT security management, finite-state automata based cyber-attack modeling, risk assessment, and worst attack vulnerability analysis. Her interest also lies in the area of programming languages, ranging from theory to design to implementation. She is a member of IEEE and a Semantic Scholar, and her work has been published at various IEEE Conferences, such as the Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC), Cyber Security in Networking Conference (CSNet), the Conference on Trust, Privacy, and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications (TPS-ISA), and the Network Operations and Management Symposium (NOMS). She also completed a Diploma in Programming – C, C++ and JAVA and is certified in NET Framework Professional.

Prior to working at Franklin Cummings Tech, she was a Computer Science Instructor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, where she was responsible for designing IT courses and taught classes in the design and analysis of data structures and algorithms, network architecture, and discrete structures. She also taught as an Assistant Professor at Chattanooga State Community College and Lecturer for Computer Science at Anna University in India. In addition to her teaching experience, she was a Software Engineer for Centralized Showing Services where she was part of the web app development team. In addition to her professional experience, she has published the following peer-reviewed articles:

  1. Worst Attack Vulnerability and Fortification for IoT Security Management: An approach and An Illustration for Smart Home IoT (2023)
  2. Situational Awareness for Smart Home IoT Security via Finite State Automata Based Attack Modeling (2021)
  3. IoT Cybersecurity based Smart Home Intrusion Prevention System (2019)
  4. A Risk Management Framework and A Generalized Attack Automata for IoT based Smart Home Environment (2019)
  5. Demodulation of Faded Wireless Signals Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (2018)

Her passion for teaching leads her to strongly believe that teaching connects learning in ways that inspire students to learn more and strive for excellence.

Rachid Elaafer

Rachid ElaaferAssistant Professor of Computer Information Technology

Rachid Elaafer is the Principal IT Consultant and President of IT Solutions Provider, LLC, with more than 20 years in the information technology field. He is not just an IT Expert, but also a professor, a guest speaker, and a columnist at Wicked Local News in Medford, MA.  He has been teaching IT for over 8 years. As a business owner and a professor, he teaches real-world IT scenarios and best practice to students to help them succeed in their career, land a job, and pass some of the major IT certifications.  

He holds the following certifications:

MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer), CTT+ (Certified Technical Trainer), MCSE Windows Certified, MCTS, CCENT, MCAS Excel, MCP Certified, Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist, Apple Certified Technical Coordinator, Network+ Certified, A+ Certified.  

Margaret GoodwynAssociate Professor of Computer Information Technology

Margaret Goodwyn earned a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Regis University and a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement with a Minor in Psychology from Worcester State University.

Michael Lord

D. Michael LordAssistant Professor of Computer Information Technology

Michael Lord graduated from Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology in 2022 with summa cum laude distinction. He received the Computer Information Technology Department’s 2022 Award for Academic Excellence, as well as the 2022 Franklin Award for Academic Excellence—a prestigious recognition of the graduate with the highest GPA in the college.

In addition to his Associate Degree in Computer Information Technology degree, he holds a B.A. in Social Work from Bridgewater State University and was featured in the Massachusetts Chapter of Social Work for being the first undergraduate in the state to organize and perform an international internship placement.

He has earned the following computer technology-related industry certifications: CompTIA A+ ce, CompTIA Linux+ ce, CompTIA Network+ ce,  CompTIA Security+ ce, CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist, CompTIA IT Operations Specialist, CompTIA Systems Support Specialist, CompTIA Linux Network Professional, MTA Networking Fundamentals, MTA Windows Server Administration Fundamentals, AWS Academy Cloud Foundations, Oracle Java Foundations Associate, and Google IT.

In addition, he currently serves as Web and Outreach Chairperson for the nonprofit Southeastern Massachusetts Round-Up Committee.

College leadership roles:

  • 2024/2025 Chair, Faculty Development Committee
  • 2024/2025 Chair, Promotion Committee
Ritesh Mukherjee_faculty

Ritesh Mukherjee, PhDLecturer

Dr. Ritesh Mukherjee is a dedicated and passionate educator. With a PhD in Computer Science, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom.

He is an accomplished leader focusing on global communications and technology. He leads product and solutions engineering as Senior Vice President at Inseego. Before Inseego, Dr. Mukherjee led product teams at Reliance Jio, 128 Technology (acquired by Juniper Networks), and Cisco. Ritesh has engineered some of the largest deployments of enterprise networks globally. He is a sought-after speaker and thought leader.

He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Concordia University, Montreal. His teaching philosophy stems from the belief that education is a collaborative effort between the teacher and the student. He believes that students should be active participants in the learning process and that the teacher’s role is to facilitate their understanding and growth.

His passion for teaching and commitment to student success has quickly made him a beloved faculty member and a valued mentor to many students.

Sammy WalkerLecturer

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