Amber Cortese is in her first year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at SMU. She is an alumna of SMU, having received her BA in sociology with a Spanish minor in 2001 and an MLA in dispute resolution in 2004.

During the 2006-07 academic year, Cortese served as a strength and conditioning intern at Harvard, where she aided in implementing speed, strength and conditioning training programs for 37 varsity sports. Cortese has also worked at Velocity Sports Performance in Dallas as a sports performance specialist, where she coached middle school to collegiate athletes in acceleration, agility, and maximum velocity. She has previously served as graduate assistant rowing coach for SMU and as an assistant rowing coach for Highland Park High School.

Cortese is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and has Level II United States Rowing coaching certification along with CPR/AED certification.

While a student at SMU, Cortese was a member of the rowing team and earned team MVP honors in 2001, with her quad finishing in third place at the U.S. Rowing National Championship Regatta. Cortese competed in the Boston and New York City Marathons in 2006, finishing in the top 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively, of female runners.

Her father, Anthony Cortese, is professor of sociology at SMU.