WASHINGTON (February 11, 2020) – D.C. native Amber Golden, Ph.D. MFA, was a two-year member of the Howard University Women's Swim team (1990-92) under coaches Dexter Brown and Jason Richards where she was an outstanding scholar-athlete, both competitively and academically.
 
Out the pool, Dr. Golden was an active community servant while maintaining her connection with dance at HU. She danced throughout the D.C. area, alongside the Ooh La La's during her senior year.
 
After graduating from HU's Department of Psychology (1994), she went on to earn a master's degree in Community Psychology from Florida A&M University (1997).
 
Dr. Golden began her career as a home-based therapist and transitioned into Program Evaluation for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health Offices.
 
Ever the athlete, she continued to dance and perform with Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theater, African Caribbean Dance Theater, and various artists collectives throughout North Florida and South Georgia.
 
Golden returned to school and earned a doctorate degree (2006) from Florida State University in Family Relations with emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, Measurement and Statistics, and Program Evaluation.
 
Dr. Golden taught at Florida A&M University's (FAMU) Department of Psychology for eight years. She has also worked in corporate program evaluation settings, consulting with nonprofits and government entities to improve policies to address health disparities and increase health equity for communities of color. Additionally, she traveled throughout North America presenting her research findings at professional conferences.
 
In 2017, she returned to The District and went back to school to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from Jacksonville University (2019).
 
Shortly after graduation, she founded Golden Arts and Research Center, Inc. a non-profit organization aimed at increasing access to mental health and wellness resources in communities of color. It also uses the arts to facilitate psychoeducational training and community engagement.
 
Since then, Dr. Golden has rejoined the FAMU Department of Psychology as a remote Visiting Faculty member for the 2020-21 academic year. She also serves a researcher on the Association of Black Psychologists COVID-19 Needs Assessment of Blacks Living in U.S. Communities study.
 
Dr. Golden lovingly offers day-to-day support to her vivacious octogenarian mother and her three children. When not working, Golden can be found dancing professionally with community-based companies, along with artist collectives in the area.
 
Dr. Golden is proud to represent Washington, D.C. as the American Mothers – Mother of the Year for 2021. She enjoys mentoring students and young professionals while acting as the PTO president ('20-21) for Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the local dual-curriculum arts high school. Her absolute favorite past-times include enjoying live music concerts (pre-COVID) and DIY home improvement projects.
 
About Where Are They Now?
 
The new weekly series of "Where Are They Now?" appears each Thursday throughout the year.
 
The series will feature former student-athletes from all sports and eras, highlighting their careers as athletes at the University and what they are presently doing.
 
All interested former athletes and their coaches should submit a short bio, a recent head shot and contact information on how they can be reached via email to Lauren Stewart (lauren.stewart@bison.howard.edu) and Derek W. Bryant (derek.bryant@howard.edu).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.