Amber Letcher

Amber Letcher is an Associate Professor of Human Development and 4-H Youth Development Specialist in the School of Education, Counseling, and Human Development at South Dakota State University. Her research focuses on youth development and the prevention of risk-taking behavior in the context of rural communities.

Dr. Letcher is a co-director of Strengthening the Heartland (strengtheningtheheartland.com), a multi-state collaborative dedicated to providing resources to rural communities across North and South Dakota. Her current projects involve implementing opioid misuse prevention programming for youth and adults and assessing the effectiveness of social and emotional learning programming among middle and high school youth within rural communities. Since 2006, Dr. Letcher has worked with at-risk populations, including runaway and homeless youth, homeless mothers and their young children, substance-abusing mothers with children, and substance-using youth.

Ph.D. in Human Development, The Ohio State University, 2012
M.S. in Human Development, The Ohio State University, 2008
B.S. in Consumer Affairs, South Dakota State University, 2005