Cheri Pierson Yecke, PhD

Dr. Yecke led has a distinguished career as an educator, teaching K-12 grades for many years. Her leadership and ingenuity became well-recognized, and soon she was promoted to cabinet-level positions in three states, serving as the as the Secretary of Education in Virginia, Commissioner of Education in Minnesota, and Chancellor of Education in Florida. She also served as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Education. 

From 2008 until her retirement in 2015, Dr. Yecke served as the Associate Provost for Graduate Programs and Professor of History and Political Science at Harding University. While at Harding she also was a professor of history and political science, and taught Constitutional Law and Administrative Law at the undergraduate level, as well as graduate courses in leadership.

Dr. Yecke is the author of six books, and most recently spent a decade researching and writing her three-volume Little House series: Discovering Laura: The Historical Laura Ingalls Wilder (volume 1 & 2) and Discovering Almanzo: The Historical Almanzo J. Wilder (volume 3). She serves on the board of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association.