Melissa L. Rocco
Senior Lecturer
Program Coordinator, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration
PRONOUNS she/her/hers
- Ph.D. in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy, University of Maryland
- M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs, The Ohio State University
- B.S. in Business Administration, The Ohio State University
Areas of expertise
- Leadership Education and Development
- Critical Perspectives of Leadership
- Transformative Pedagogy and Curriculum Design
- College Student Development
- Organizational Assessment and Change
BIO
At the core of Dr. Rocco’s work is her desire to help individuals identify, develop, and engage their capacity for change-making. Her research, teaching, and practice focus on the application of transformative and liberatory pedagogy to challenge dominant leadership narratives and center identity, equity, and justice in leadership education. She primarily teaches courses on leadership and identity, social action and change, learning and curriculum design, developmental theory, and professional practice in higher education.
Dr. Rocco’s professional and scholarly contributions include roles as Faculty Director for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP), Governing Board member for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), and representative to the national Faculty Council for NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work has been published in the Journal of Leadership Studies, Journal of Leadership Education, New Directions for Student Leadership, and Journal of College Student Development. She is a collaborating author on the National Leadership Education Research Agenda 2020-2025 and a contributor and reviewer for some of the most widely-used texts in leadership education. Dr. Rocco has also facilitated hundreds of leadership programs for professionals and students across the globe through her consulting and volunteer work.
Dr. Rocco is the 2026 recipient of the Peter Northouse Outstanding Teaching award from the Association of Leadership Educators (ALE) and a 2025 Diamond Honoree of ACPA College Student Educators International.
Prior to her faculty appointments, Dr. Rocco worked as a higher education administrator in functional areas including co-curricular leadership programs, student activities, academic advising, and fraternity and sorority life. She holds a PhD in Higher Education, Student Affairs, & International Education Policy from the University of Maryland.
Courses
- EDHI 6890 Professional Practices in HESA
- EDHI 6240 Facilitating Leadership Development
- EDHI 1110 Exploring Leadership & Identity
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Peter Northouse Outstanding Teaching Award, Association of Leadership Educators (2026)
- Diamond Honoree, ACPA: College Student Educators International (2025)
- Finalist, Prelock Online Teaching Award, University of Vermont (2024)
- Inaugural Fellow, Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity (2023)
- Award of Merit, Ohio Association of Student Leaders (2023, 2007)
- Impact Fellow, The Aspen Institute (2022-2023)
- Global Classrooms Teaching Fellow, University of Maryland (2019-2023)
- International Alumna of Distinction, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity & Foundation (2017)
- SPARC Research Award, College of Education, University of Maryland (2016)
- Mac and Lucile McEwen Research Award, College of Education, University of Maryland (2016)
- National Representative to The White House Summit on Sexual Assault Prevention, White House Council on Women and Girls, Administration of Vice President Joseph R. Biden (2016)
Bio
At the core of Dr. Rocco’s work is her desire to help individuals identify, develop, and engage their capacity for change-making. Her research, teaching, and practice focus on the application of transformative and liberatory pedagogy to challenge dominant leadership narratives and center identity, equity, and justice in leadership education. She primarily teaches courses on leadership and identity, social action and change, learning and curriculum design, developmental theory, and professional practice in higher education.
Dr. Rocco’s professional and scholarly contributions include roles as Faculty Director for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP), Governing Board member for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), and representative to the national Faculty Council for NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work has been published in the Journal of Leadership Studies, Journal of Leadership Education, New Directions for Student Leadership, and Journal of College Student Development. She is a collaborating author on the National Leadership Education Research Agenda 2020-2025 and a contributor and reviewer for some of the most widely-used texts in leadership education. Dr. Rocco has also facilitated hundreds of leadership programs for professionals and students across the globe through her consulting and volunteer work.
Dr. Rocco is the 2026 recipient of the Peter Northouse Outstanding Teaching award from the Association of Leadership Educators (ALE) and a 2025 Diamond Honoree of ACPA College Student Educators International.
Prior to her faculty appointments, Dr. Rocco worked as a higher education administrator in functional areas including co-curricular leadership programs, student activities, academic advising, and fraternity and sorority life. She holds a PhD in Higher Education, Student Affairs, & International Education Policy from the University of Maryland.
Courses
- EDHI 6890 Professional Practices in HESA
- EDHI 6240 Facilitating Leadership Development
- EDHI 1110 Exploring Leadership & Identity
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Peter Northouse Outstanding Teaching Award, Association of Leadership Educators (2026)
- Diamond Honoree, ACPA: College Student Educators International (2025)
- Finalist, Prelock Online Teaching Award, University of Vermont (2024)
- Inaugural Fellow, Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity (2023)
- Award of Merit, Ohio Association of Student Leaders (2023, 2007)
- Impact Fellow, The Aspen Institute (2022-2023)
- Global Classrooms Teaching Fellow, University of Maryland (2019-2023)
- International Alumna of Distinction, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity & Foundation (2017)
- SPARC Research Award, College of Education, University of Maryland (2016)
- Mac and Lucile McEwen Research Award, College of Education, University of Maryland (2016)
- National Representative to The White House Summit on Sexual Assault Prevention, White House Council on Women and Girls, Administration of Vice President Joseph R. Biden (2016)