Dr. Roach is currently the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University, a position she assumed July 1, 2015. Dr. Roach is a scholar who has written extensively on emerging issues in educational reform, particularly special education and leadership development. Prior to joining Fordham, Roach was the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Bank Street College where she oversaw the expansion of online and professional development programming, and created partnerships and programs with institutions in the United States and abroad. She also emphasized new approaches for developing teachers and leaders to serve effectively in diverse educational settings.
She was an associate professor of education at George Washington University from 2004 to 2011, where she chaired the Department of Educational Leadership, taught master’s and doctoral-level courses, and directed more than 30 dissertations in the field.
In 2013, she was lauded with the William J. Davis Research Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the University Council for Educational Administration; her professional contributions include service as editor of Educational Planning from 2009 to 2011 and membership on the boards of the International Society of Educational Planning and the United Nations International School.