With twenty-seven years of experience in education, Dr. Aresa Allen-Rochester (Dr. Roc.) has served as a classroom teacher, District level administrator, University professor, educational consultant and principal for the past thirteen years in the second largest school district in the United States, Los Angeles Unified School District. Dr. Roc’s expertise has defined her as a leading practitioner in transformational leadership and has been sought out nationally as a speaker, strategist, trainer, reformer and transformer. A focus on research-based instructional practices, Dr. Roc is guided by a core mission to ensure that the curricula, pedagogy and assessment authentically meets the needs of students and supports staff in doing so.

As the educational leader of two low-performing elementary schools, Dr. Roc transformed and turned around both into highly recognized and achieving schools within a short period of time. Dr. Roc’s instructional design and targeted instructional support of teachers has proven to be integral to a school’s and district’s action plan for achievement. In 2018 she ventured to lead a school that was in the midst of a lawsuit based on historically low academic performance; within one year’s time the school had the highest growth rate for African American children in both ELA and mathematics in the district and in 2022 received state-wide recognition as a California Pivotal Practice Award Winner!

Dr. Roc is the CEO of Solution Based Consulting and specializes in educational reform/transformational educational practices from a social justice lens. Dr. Allen-Rochester holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Africana studies from San Diego State University, Masters degrees in Multicultural Education and Educational Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a doctorate degree from Azusa Pacific University in Educational Leadership, K-12 with a focus in Urban Education. Dr. Roc’s research interests and areas of expertise include African centered educational practices, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, urban educational leadership, social justice educational reform, new teacher preparation, parental involvement and engagement, and effective infusion of youth culture into the curriculum.

Gifted with the art of the pen, Dr. Roc has allowed life to lead her to her passions…writing and education! Dr. Roc has published work in Childhood Education, as well as her study, Voices Within the Village: A Phenomenological Study of African American Parents’ Experiences With Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education. Additionally she is the author of two books on educational leadership in action and parental involvement from a cultural lens.

Dr. Roc is married to her husband William Rochester and is mother to Ashanti Damisi. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and countless educational organizations.