Youth Development Program Management and Evaluation

Melissa Herzog is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Dr. Herzog is the academic advisor for all students admitted to Mizzou's youth development graduate program and serves as Director of Graduate Studies for all HDFS master's and graduate certificate students. As an advisor, she has an open-door policy to support individual program planning and mentors all master’s student capstone projects. She is currently co-principal investigator of a federally-funded, statewide relationship education program for single adults across Missouri where she oversees evaluation and quality improvement. She has previously worked on social competence intervention development, teacher training, and program evaluation for middle school youth on the autism spectrum. Dr. Herzog teaches the foundations of positive youth development course, as well as undergraduate courses in intimate relationships and successful adulting. 

As an applied developmental scientist, Steven Krauss’ expertise explores the dynamic interplay of youth and adult relationships in shaping and empowering psychosocial development. Dr. Krauss’ research program utilizes qualitative and mixed methods to delve into how developmental relationships contribute to the health and well-being of adolescents and emerging adults. A distinctive feature of his work is the application of a youth-adult partnership lens, through which he explores the myriad benefits, processes and barriers associated with collaborative efforts between youth and adults in various programs and projects. His current work focuses on relational capacity building among adult volunteers and youth members in 4-H programs in Missouri and the North Central region. Dr. Krauss teaches two courses: youth-adult relationships and program design and evaluation.