Michael Karcher

Michael Karcher is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Education and Human Development (COEHD). As a leading expert in youth mentoring, his research focuses on school-based and cross-age peer mentoring, adolescent connectedness, and pair counseling interventions. He developed the Cross-age Mentoring Program (CAMP), a nationally recognized initiative listed on CrimeSolutions.gov, and served as Principal Investigator for the longitudinal SMILE study, evaluating school-based mentoring impacts on delinquency and educational outcomes.

His work spans multicultural counseling, delinquency prevention, and developmental program design, with over 20 years of publications in fields like Educational Psychology, Criminology, and Counseling. He co-edited the Handbook of Youth Mentoring (2005, 2014) and Play, Talk, Learn (2010), introducing the TEAM framework. Karcher contributes to editorial boards for mentoring journals and advises organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and MENTOR, ensuring his research informs policy and practice for at-risk youth.

Recent publications highlight systemic mentoring models, connectedness assessment tools, and cross-cultural program adaptations. His work emphasizes measurable outcomes, including academic persistence, social competency development, and mental health improvements through structured mentoring interactions.