Dr. Aisha Rousseau (i-e-sha, ru-so) earned a B.A. from Spelman College and a M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also earned a Ph.D. in Health-Related Sciences from the School of Allied Health Professions at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is to date, the program’s first and only African American doctoral graduate with a concentration in Rehabilitation Leadership.

Dr. Rousseau currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for the State of Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). She is also the owner of Applied Access, specializing in consultation services and training related to mental health, accessibility, and equitable health practices to corporations throughout the United States.

In October 2021, Dr. Rousseau was appointed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock as the Executive Director for the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation. Prior to her appointment by Mayor Hancock, Dr. Rousseau served as the Director of Denver’s Division of Disability Rights administering over $650 million in projects and programs ensuring access for individuals living with disabilities.

Dr. Rousseau strives to create space for marginalized people to have a seat at tables to share their voices. Prior to relocating to Denver, Dr. Rousseau served as a tenure-track professor at a Research I university. She continues to write and conduct research pertaining to the intersection of disability, gender and multicultural issues, as well as minority women living with HIV/AIDS and has a number of published peer-reviewed publications and book chapters