Roche, Teresa, 1956-
Dates
- Existence: June 19, 1956 -
Biographical Information
Dr. Teresa Roche is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Fort Collins. She attended Purdue University in the 1970s and 1980s and again in the late 1990’s where she earned a Ph.D. in Educational Technology, Master’s degree in Counseling and Personnel Services, and Bachelor’s degree in Education and Interpersonal and Public Communications. In 2019, Roche became an Executive in Residence at Purdue and serves on Purdue’s Student Life Advisory Committee.
Teresa Roche grew into adulthood during two of the most significant social justice movements in the United States, the civil rights movement and the equal rights movement, both of which strongly impacted her life. Roche was heavily involved in activism on campus, particularly as it relates to women’s rights. She met with university leaders to discuss the effects of Title IX on the university, spoke out in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, and helped shift the focus of women’s organizations on campus to issues of women’s careers, family responsibilities for dual career parents, and women’s reproductive health.
Roche was also very involved in student organizations while at Purdue. She held leadership positions in her sorority Delta Gamma, the Purdue Student Government, the Association for Women’s Students, and the Old Masters Program, and was a member of Iron Key, Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Alpha Theta. While on the Purdue Student Government, Roche founded a new department called Women’s Awareness, focusing largely on campus safety and co-founded the Communications Council whose goal was to support the dialogue between students and the elected members of the student government.
Prior to completing her undergraduate degree, Roche had developed a strong relationship with Betty Nelson and the staff in the Office of the Dean of Students, including Beverley Stone and Barbara Cook. As such, the Dean of Students Office offered her an internship if she would pursue her graduate studies at Purdue, which she accepted. In addition, Roche held an internship in the University Placement Office, was the Senior Staff Resident of Graduate Hall East, and was very involved in external organizations in her field of study during her graduate studies at Purdue.
Dr. Roche has received numerous accolades including many from Purdue. As an undergraduate, she earned the Bruce Kendall Award and a Mortar Board fellowship to pursue her graduate studies. Since graduation, Roche has been named an Old Masters at Purdue (2005), received the Distinguished Alumni award from the College of Education (2009) and in 2019 Mortar Board presented her with a national citation to become a member of their honor society.