Amber is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at Colorado State University. Her research broadly focuses on food insecurity, environmental justice, and health. Previously, she earned her Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Nutrition from Missouri State University and her Master’s in Sociology from the University of Arkansas. Her dissertation examines how different populations perceive and address college student food insecurity, conducting interview and content analysis at universities and colleges across Colorado. She also is a graduate teaching instructor for the Department of Sociology and a research assistant for Colorado State Extension.

Previously, she has worked with the Center for Environmental Justice at CSU and the Community and Family Institute at the University of Arkansas doing community-based research. This work and other projects examine environmental justice implications of water quality in Colorado mobile home communities and solar transitions with Utah farmers.

Amber brings her experience in the food access world into her scholarship and teaching, including helping run the student pantry at the University of Arkansas, serving as an Extension summer intern for the Larimer County Farmers Market, and reviewing USDA grants.