The ROCK Stars

Maria F. Loffredo Roca, Ph.D., serves as the Director of the Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center at Florida Gulf Coast University.  She has her Ph.D. in Media Ecology from New York University, her M.A. in Performing Arts Management also from NYU, and her B.A. in Interpersonal and Public Communication from Purdue University.  She is a GreenFaith Fellow and served as the Director of the GreenFaith Inspirations project from its inception in December of 2017 until March of 2020.  A founding faculty member of FGCU, Dr. Roca has been recognized for her work with the Professor of the Year Award from Florida Gulf Coast University (1997-1998), two-time recipient of FGCU’s McTarnaghan Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002-2003; 2015-2016), the Faculty Award for Service Excellence (2001-2002), the Chair Excellence Award (2018-2019), and the Student Success Champion Award (2024).   In 2015 she was presented with the Rachel Carson Award for distinguished service to the field of environmental and sustainability education.  She has trained with the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Higher Education.  In her role as Director of the ROCK Center, Dr. Roca oversees initiatives that promote the Center’s mission both on the FGCU campus and in the community.  This work includes partnering college students with elementary and middle school students in the teaching of compassion, empathy and kindness.  Maria is the mother of one daughter, Alissa, who is a professional opera singer. 

 

Cyndi Pasma joined the ROCK Center in October 2026 after serving as Administrative Specialist II for the Department of Language and Literature for over 2 years. Cyndi brings over 20 years of Marketing, Elementary Education and Community Engagement experience to her role with the Rock Center.  Cyndi is a life-long spiritual learner and strives to make every connection a positive one.  She is committed to FGCU's values of Curiosity, Commitment and Collaboration and looks forward to working with students of all ages and the SW Florida community spreading compassion and kindness!

Meg is the Director of Scholarly Innovation and Student Research at FGCU and a comp instructor for the School of ROCK. Come see her if you're interested in working with local schools on research or family literacy! Her current research investigates gamifying pedagogy (the grown-up way to say, "playing games in class!") and tracing the representations of empathy in children's literature. Meg served as ROCK's project manager, and prior to that, she taught in the SUNY system for sixteen years, creating courses in children's and young adult literatures, British literature, composition, and Career Prep for English Majors, publishing two scholarly monographs (X Marks the Spot: Women Writers Map the Empire for British Children, 1790-1895, Ohio UP; Gaming Empire in Children's British Board Games, 1836-1860, Routledge), and winning a Chancellor's Award for Excellence in College Teaching. 

Rita Rubin

My current work with The Integrated Education and Partnerships and the ROCK Center gives me professional happiness with the hope of making a kind and compassionate difference in our world. As a “seasoned” educator, I have taught K-12 general and special education students and have experience as a principal and curriculum coordinator. In higher education, I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses and been an academic advisor and college administrator. My personal joy comes from spending time with my Mom, family, friends, and through volunteer work with many animal rescues.