David T. Lardier Jr., PhD, LPC, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Individual, Family, and Community Education, Family and Child Studies Program at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Lardier’s research interests focus primarily on youth and community empowerment in under-served communities of color, as well as the mechanisms through which youth can be involved in research and policy change as both activists and actors of social change. Dr. Lardier also examines the development and practice of empowerment-based prevention programs that meet the diverse needs of youth and their communities. Beyond this, Dr. Lardier engages in research that focuses on the fit/lack of fit between diverse youth and educational institutions, adolescent behavior in professional counseling, and family dynamics. Currently, he serves as program evaluator for the Paterson Coalition Against Substance Abuse (P-CASA) a Drug Free Communities (DFC) Grant Program out of Montclair State University. Dr. Lardier also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Adolescent and Family Health.