PKSOI/GLOBAL TRENDS CASE STUDIES The Foreign Terrorist Designation of Boko Haram | Page 2

Case Study # 0417-01
PKSOI TRENDS GLOBAL CASE STUDY SERIES
Author Biographical Sketch
Ryan McCannell is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
senior advisor to the U.S. Army War College, serving as a professor and mem-
ber of the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) team at
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Ryan previously served as the division chief
for Conflict, Peacebuilding and Governance in the USAID Bureau for Africa.
In that role, he oversaw a team of 12 subject-matter experts who manage
regional programs and advise USAID Missions in sub-Saharan Africa on
democracy, human rights, governance, conflict mitigation, and civil-military
relations, as well as countering violent extremism, terrorism, and human and
narcotics trafficking. Before joining USAID in 2004, Ryan spent eight years
at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), where
he was responsible for designing and managing democracy support programs
in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Malawi, South Africa,
and the Central African Republic. In 2002-03, he served as NDI’s chief of
party in Benin and Togo, where he organized training for political parties
prior to elections in those two countries. Before NDI, Ryan worked as a democracy researcher for USAID. He received
a bachelor’s degree and certificate in African Studies from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, a masters in Geo-
graphic and Cartographic Sciences from George Mason University, and a masters in Strategic Studies, with distinction,
from the U.S. Army War College.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this case study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or
position of PKSOI, USAID, the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. This case study
is published as part of the PKSOI Trends Global Case Study Series by the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
Institute (PKSOI) and cleared for public release; distribution is unlimited. Content is not copyrighted. Material
may be reprinted if credit is given to the original author.