25
COM Outlook . Fall 2013
South Dakota in a variety of capaci-
ties that included serving as execu-
tive director of the Interdisciplinary
Center for Developmental Disabilities
at the university’s medical school and
culminated with her appointment as
the school’s assistant vice president
for health affairs. In her role as vice
president in 1989, Dr. Rokusek devel-
oped and secured state and private
funding to establish the first academic
programs in occupational and physi-
cal therapy in South Dakota, which
she considers to be one of her finest
accomplishments. “Prior to this, there
were only five slots available each in
occupational and physical therapy
in North Dakota for South Dakota
students,” she explained. “This was
a real victory that made an incredible
difference in the state.”
As the 1980s slowly melded into
the 1990s, Dr. Rokusek began to
sense she was ready for a career and
locational shakeup. “By 1993, I was
pondering whether I wanted to stay in
South Dakota or go beyond, so I iden-
tified three areas where I would like
to live, which were Chicago, Illinois,
Seattle, Washington, and Boston, Mas-
sachusetts,” she explained. “Illinois
came through first with two offers—
one from the University of Illinois
in Chicago and one from Governors
State University in University Park—
so that’s where I went.”
Continuing her move up the pro-
fessional ladder, Dr. Rokusek accept-
ed the position as dean of Governors
State University’s College of Health
Professions. During her six-year stint
at Governors State, she masterminded
many enhancements that included
the development of new occupa-
tional and physical therapy graduate
programs as well as the procurement
of state funding for a new human
anatomy lab. In 1998, her growing
stature in the academic realm was rec-
ognized in a major way when a local
newspaper named her as one of the
“Top 10 Most Powerful and Influen-
tial Women for 1998 in Illinois.”
In the late 1990s, another geo-
graphical change was precipitated
when Dr. Rokusek’s parents decided
they no longer wanted to contend
with the harsh South Dakota winters
and elected to relocate to Fort My-
ers, Florida, which is where a close
cousin happened to live. Realizing
she wanted to be close to her parents
as they approached the advanced age
of 90, Dr. Rokusek accepted a posi-
tion as dean of Florida Gulf Coast
University’s College of Health Profes-
sions in 1999, which later transitioned
into her becoming vice president of
academic affairs.
Fortunately, the move to Florida
would prove to be a propitious decision
both personally and professionally.
Love Blooms as NSU Looms
Love has a way of sneaking up
on people when they least expect it,
which is exactly what happened to
Dr. Rokusek in 2001 when a random
phone call morphed into a life-altering
experience. Although she was hap-
pily ensconced at Florida Gulf Coast
University, she continued to proudly
embrace her Czech and Slovak heri-
tage by being active in a number of
cultural activities, including the Ms.
Slovak USA Pageant headquartered in
Wilber, Nebraska.
One day, a gentleman by the name
of Bob Petrik contacted her office in
Fort Myers as part of an informational
quest. What should have been a fairly
quick dialogue exchange evolved into
an extended conversation that ultimate-
ly led to a genuine happy ending. “We
talked for almost an hour,” she said.
“And the rest, as they say, is history.”
In 2002, a similar situation oc-
curred on the professional front when
Dr. Rokusek attended a grants meet-
ing in Washington, D.C. “I was chair-
ing a 12-person grants panel where
one of the reviewers just happened
to be Dr. Leonard Levy, who serves
as NSU-COM’s associate dean for
education, planning, and research,”
she said. “During a break, we intro-
duced ourselves and made plans to do
dinner, where he discussed his desire
to obtain additional grants for the
Pictured (clockwise from left) are two portraits of Dr. Rokusek as a young child; dressed up for
Halloween with her longtime partner, Bob Petrik; the happy couple; a meet-and-greet with
MadeleineAlbright, the formerU.S. secretaryof state;meeting retiredRepublicanSenator BobDole.
