Dr. Rolanda West is  an instructor in the Justice Studies Department of Northeastern Illinois University and the co-founder and Executive Director of Alternative Education Research Institute. She co-founded the organization to assist local community organizations in the research and development of programs that would provide educational opportunities for populations that have been overlooked. For the past decade, Dr. West has worked as an instructor, program consultant and community activist for underrepresented populations, primarily formerly incarcerated youth and adults.

Dr. West has previously taught courses at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education and has worked with south- and west-side community-based organizations in the research, development and evaluation of programs designed for underrepresented populations.  Recently, Dr. West accepted the nomination for the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Nation Council and continues to serve as a Board member for the Renaissance Collaborative in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

​Outside of teaching, West has worked as a consultant for Los Angeles Unified School District and the Federal Department of Probation District Courts in Inglewood, California, developing Empowerment Education and Reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated. As a consultant West has worked with organizations in the U.S. and Latin America, providing staff development training and program research and development for underserved communities. ​