Gilbert L. Rochon facts for kids

Gilbert L. Rochon is an American educator and leader. He was the sixth president of Tuskegee University from 2010 to 2013.

Early Life and Education

Gilbert L. Rochon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up with his two brothers. Their mother and grandfather took care of them. He went to Catholic schools that were separated by race. Later, he studied at special schools called seminaries in Mississippi and Iowa.

He earned a Bachelor's degree from Xavier University of Louisiana. He also got a Master's degree in Public Health from Yale. This degree focused on managing health services. Later, he earned a Ph.D. from MIT. His Ph.D. was in urban and regional planning. For his research, he studied how satellites could help with droughts and hunger in Sudan. This is called remote sensing.

Career Highlights

Before becoming president of Tuskegee, Rochon held many important jobs. From 2002 to 2010, he worked at Purdue University. He was also a researcher at the US Environmental Protection Agency. This was from 2000 to 2002. From 1982 to 2000, he led the Urban Studies and Public Policy program at Dillard University.

Personal Life

Gilbert Rochon is married to Patricia Saul Rochon. She was also an academic. They have two children together. He is a Catholic.