Dr. Melissa L. Rocco (she/her) is Senior Lecturer and Program Director for Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration at the University of Vermont. As a leadership educator and scholar, Dr. Rocco seeks to advance leadership perspectives beyond dominant cultural narratives through the exploration, development, and implementation of transformative pedagogy. Her research, teaching, and practice focus on leadership identity development, liberatory learning, and leadership educator preparation.

Dr. Rocco’s professional contributions include roles as Faculty Director for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP), chairperson for Leadership Educators Symposium and Leadership Educators Institute, and representative to the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) 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 also 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’s practitioner experience includes roles in co-curricular leadership programs, student activities, academic advising, and fraternity and sorority life. She holds a PhD in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy from the University of Maryland.