Dr. Rose Garlasco was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her family moved to the northwest suburbs when she was twelve years old. After graduating from Maine East High School in Park Ridge in 1974, she attended Illinois State University, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in 1978. Rose completed her Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago in 1982, and then pursued a PhD. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Loyola University Chicago, graduating in 2000.

Rose’s doctoral dissertation, A Case Study Analysis of Affluent Suburban High School Violence: Implications for Change in Policy, Programs and Attitudes, was published by Loyola University Chicago in 2000. It was a historical overview of violence in schools by analyzing data, evaluating prevention services and programs offered, and determining the effectiveness of reducing violence.

Rose was employed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for ten years. Her interest was working with adolescents and families, providing therapy in settings including child welfare, schools and community agencies. Her passion for teenagers brought her to the school setting where she shifted to school administration. She served as an Assistant Principal for twenty five years. In addition to her school responsibilities, she co-founded and served as President of a not-for-profit, the Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation (MCYAF). The organization focused on prevention for adolescents, family and schools in the area of substance abuse.

After retiring in 2016, she had time, so she decided to write. Rose won two awards in the Arizona Literary Magazine Essay Contests. Her first, “Wishful Thinking”, won 1st place in 2020 and her second, “When Love Was Not Enough”, won 3rd place in 2024. Rose published her first book in September 2024, Just a LIttle Off…A Memoir Growing Up First Generation American in an Ethnic German Family.

Rose is a member of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers. She recently became a board member for the Desert Foothills Book Festival Committee. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Larry. In addition to writing, she enjoys pickleball, Zumba, reading, traveling and spending time with friends and family.