Dr. Smith Risser received her Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Smith Risser taught at Plano West Senior High School and Texas Woman's University before coming to Montana Tech in 2008. In the past six years, she has served as a board member for the Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Butte School Board. Dr. Smith Risser is a member of several state committees concerned with mathematics and science education and serves as a reviewer for three different academic journals.