Sandra Jeanne Grady

Sandra Jeanne Grady is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program (SSP) within the Center for Security Studies (CSS). She concurrently serves as Senior Program Mission Manager at the Foreign Malign Influence Center under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, focusing on strategic national security strategies against foreign malign influence. Her expertise spans African security dynamics, disinformation analysis, and counterterrorism.

Dr. Grady holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, alongside MA and BA degrees in Anthropology and International Studies. Her research combines ethnographic fieldwork with policy analysis, particularly studying Somali Bantu refugee communities in the U.S. Her 2015 book Improvised Adolescence examines the cultural adaptation of Somali Bantu teens in America. Current projects include ethnographic studies on violence reduction in Somali refugee communities.

Previously, she worked at the National Counterterrorism Center analyzing Eastern/Southern Africa and diasporic communities, and in the FBI. She also contributed to human development initiatives in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia through a Catholic religious community. Her interdisciplinary work bridges security studies, anthropology, and public policy.