Rolando Bonachea was born in Cuba; he fled the country in 1960 at the age of seventeen. Bonachea earned his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of New Mexico and his doctorate in history from Georgetown University. He did post-doctoral work at Stanford as a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow.

Bonachea taught at Boise State University before entering the world of academic administration. He served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boise State and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Louis University in Missouri. Bonachea also served as Vice President and Acting President at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Bonachea became the eleventh President of Salem State College on August 1, 1988. At his inauguration, Bonachea declared 1988-1989 the "Year of Student Life." Bonachea made efforts to make himself available to students and also to campus neighbors who had concerns about the college. He worked with the City of Salem to institute "Pride Day", a campus beautification effort. He was also the first Salem State President to meet with the Horace Mann School's Parent Teacher Council. Unfortunately, Bonachea was forced to spend much of his time dealing with budget cuts brought on by the state fiscal crisis.

Bonachea resigned on May 15, 1989. Kenneth McIlraith, a member of the Board of Trustees, agreed to serve as Acting President until a successor was selected.