Susan C. Rocha is a partner with Denton, Navarro, Rocha & Bernal, P.C. Ms. Rocha has vast, statewide experience with issues facing local governments. She has consulted with hundreds of elected officials across the state on the legal problems that local governments face on a day-to-day basis and has been on the front line representing local governmental entities' interests, their elected and appointed officials and employees for over 24 years. She has served as Senior Intergovernmental Relations Officer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under Secretary Henry Cisneros in Washington, D.C. and has represented municipal interests at the state legislative level since 1989. In 1992, at the request of Texas Attorney General Dan Morales, Ms. Rocha created the first Office of Municipal Affairs, charged with representing the interests of Texas cities in the Texas Attorney General's office. Ms. Rocha worked for the City of San Antonio as an Assistant City Attorney for three years, and was First Assistant General Counsel to the Texas Municipal League for four and one-half years.
Since 1995, Ms. Rocha has facilitated a very successful practice as a City Attorney representing cities across the State of Texas in numerous governmental issues. She is currently City Attorney for the Cities of Cibolo, La Vernia, New Berlin, Roma and San Felipe, and also assists multiple other public entities on a myriad of general counsel issues, from employee relations to contract bidding, water contract negotiations, and land use issues. She assisted the Cities of Floresville, Cibolo, Hidalgo, Roma and Windcrest in the drafting and adoption of their Home Rule Charters. In addition to her role as city attorney for cities, Ms. Rocha is a successful lobbyist representing the Cities of San Antonio, Round Rock, New Braunfels, Austin, Dallas, Del Rio, Cibolo; and VIA Metropolitan Transit.
Ms. Rocha taught Municipal Corporations at St. Mary's Law School and is on the program faculty for the University of Texas Land Use Planning Law Conferences. She is a frequent speaker at the Texas City Attorney Association seminars, the Texas Municipal League Annual Conferences and many other statewide conferences on local government issues. She is a past President of the Texas City Attorneys Association (TCAA) and currently serves as the President of the 2008-2009 International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) Board of Directors. IMLA is a non-profit organization comprised of over 2,500 members whose legal voice serves the nation's local governments. They collect and disseminate information, and help governmental officials prepare for litigation and develop new local laws. Seven years ago, Ms. Rocha was designated a Local Govenment Fellow by the Directors of IMLA. The IMLA Local Government Fellows program recognizes local government attorneys as legal specialists in the field of local government law and encourages attorney proficiency and competency in that field. She is also a member of the TCAA and San Antonio Bar Association.
Ms. Rocha is a 1982 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law; a 1976 graduate of Chicago State University where she received a Masters Degree in Urban Education; and a 1973 graduate of the University of Dayton, Ohio majoring in Secondary Education. She is a former junior high and high school history and geography teacher.
