Core Team

Ardian is a counter-terrorism researcher, lecturer and security analyst. He began his early professional career in the Balkans, preoccupied with social, economic, political, security, and cultural issues at an early age. He was a student of many great mentors with a record of distinction in conveying real-world, macro-level impact of individual contributions. When often entangled in the chaotic conflict and post-conflict world of ideas and confusion, he strove to follow in the footsteps of those motivated by hope, passion, and the belief in the power of small wins. He later found himself conducting research on terrorism and violent extremism in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Western Europe, the Balkans, Kenya and Central Asia, recently well extending and immersing into other troubled spots such as Ukraine and Somalia, in hopes of elevating public understanding of the most pressing safety and security issues that are upending human lives and transforming the fabric of the world as we know it.

Ardian serves as a visiting lecturer and adjunct faculty, including at Nichols College, where he is teaching CT and P/CVE courses in the MSC Counterterrorism Program. Past positions include Research Director and Senior Research Fellow at the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and other positions and consultancies with domestic and international organizations.

Ardian obtained his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on Homeland Security Policy, from Walden University. He obtained his M.A. in Public Policy and Administration, from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy from Dominican University.

Homeland security, disengagement from terrorism, violent extremist and terrorist group media communication strategy and information security, messaging and counter-messaging, and the legal, regulatory, and policy aspects of response strategies to threats and crisis related to terrorism and violent extremism represent some of the areas of research interest. Ardian has authored and co-authored numerous scientific and professional publications on the subject of violent extremism and terrorism. He has written for, and his work has been quoted by, The New York Times, The Hill, Homeland Security Today, New York Post, The Washington Times, Euronews, The Daily Beast, Le Figaro, Washington Examiner, AFP, Daily Caller, Fox News, and others.

Amanda graduated from Nichols College in 2018 and 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Science in Counterterrorism degree, respectively. She has explored roles in criminal justice including security, fraud, and risk mitigation. Her interests include examining terrorist recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, and she strives to counter terrorism on a global scale with primary research, actionable recommendations, and consistent program evaluation.

At ACTRI, Amanda researches both far-right and militant jihadi radicalization, recruitment, rehabilitation, communication platforms, and technology. She also looks at structural, psychological, and social processes associated with domestic terrorism and targeted violence in the United States. She is currently leading data collection for the upcoming ACTRI database.

Kurt Vied possesses a unique combination of military, intelligence, and law enforcement experience, with deep global exposure. He has served over 18 years with the United States Navy as a Corpsman and Navy Intelligence Officer, in both active duty and reserve assignments. Mr. Vied is also a veteran Massachusetts State Trooper with over 21 years of service.

As a Naval Intelligence Officer, Kurt provided analytical and operational support to U.S. Naval Special Warfare units both in-country and those preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, Kurt was the lead Interrogator for a Special Operations Task Force in Iraq. His last assignment was with the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) as an Intelligence Officer providing Counter Intelligence Training and Operational Support to NCIS missions within the Naval Reserves.

As a Massachusetts State Trooper, Kurt was a member of their Special Tactics and Operations (STOP) SWAT Team. There he trained for and conducted tactical operations in Massachusetts and New England. Missions such as: hostage rescue, dignitary protection, critical incident response onboard aircraft, barricaded subjects, tactical training and support to other law enforcement. The STOP Team worked with the Secret Service and State Department on Presidential and Dignitary Protection, including but not limited to: 3 different Presidents and Vice Presidents as well as VIPs such as the Dali Lama. His Team played a large role in the law enforcement response to the Boston Marathon Bombing. Kurt was the Close Quarters Battle Instructor for a 41-member unit. He assisted in the development of new Tactics, Training and Procedures for high-risk warrant service entries and conducted over 500 Active Shooter training events for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Later, Kurt served with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Boston. As a Task Force Officer, his primary focus was the detection and prevention of terrorism related issues where he conducted international terrorism investigations and worked within a robust Confidential Human Source Program.

In 2004 Kurt attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England University. At ACTRI, Kurt serves as the liaison for law enforcement and coordinates ACTRI training for various populations.

Dana K. Motley currently serves as the Senior Research Fellow for the American Counterterrorism Targeting & Resilience Institute (ACTRI), and Open-Source Intelligence Contractor for Counter-Terrorism Watch. A registered Certified Institutional Protection Manager (CIPM), Ms. Motley founded Motley Matrix LLC in 2013, dedicated to providing cyber investigation and social media intelligence services to address cyber-social threats through the identification of digital dust/digital exhaust, social listening, imagery, and sentiment analysis. Notable published reports include documenting methods used by threat actors’ acquisition and exploitation of dual-use technologies, direct collection of technologies by non-intelligence agencies, study of the BeiDou satellite system, and of the ongoing threats of extremism presented on social media, leveraging algorithms, facial recognition technologies, deepfakes, geolocation tracking and the Internet of Things (IoT) to crowdsource mass mobilization and execute disinformation campaigns on its platforms.

Previous roles have included service as the Director of Communications and New Business Development for TransLumen Technologies, managing communications to position C4ISR technologies within the defense and homeland security market channels, and support collaborations with SAIC, NASA and the FAA. Within the academic sector, Dana has served as an Advisor for the Intelligence & Security Studies Department at The Citadel, a Resident Researcher for Northwestern University, and as a DHS certified instructor for the City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Dana is a proud member of InfraGard, serving the Communications Sector’s Threat Assessment Special Interest Group (SIG), an alum of the FBI National Citizens Academy (FBINCAA), and holds active memberships held with the Algorithmic Justice League, Women in Defense (WID) and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS). She graduated summa cum laude with a Master’s in Public Policy & Public Administration (MPPA) and a certification in national security from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in Communications from Marquette University. Honors and awards include the Joint Operations Commission Award for NATO, Chicago Police Department (2015), and Appreciation Award from the Philippines Consulate General (2015), Woman of the Year in Emergency Management, National Association of Professional Women (2013), Delegation as a Congressional Aide, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) (2008) and professional designations received from Ms. Carol Roessler, State Senator, Wisconsin (18th Senate District) & Ms. Bonnie Ladwig, State Representative, Wisconsin (2001).

Natalia is ACTRI Senior Research Fellow and a cybersecurity engineer at Walmart Global Tech.  Natalia is a tenure-track assistant professor at Marymount University, a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). In this role, she teaches undergraduate, master’s and doctoral-level courses in IT and cybersecurity. Natalia earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Affairs, a master’s degree in International Development, and a Doctorate of Science in Cybersecurity. Natalia has authored and co-authored dozens of academic, professional, and conference-related publications in the field of cybersecurity.

At ACTRI and beyond, Natalia’s research interests are focused on global cybersecurity,  cyber diplomacy and cooperation in cyberspace, cyber warfare, mis-and-disinformation and the newly emerging application of AI in cybersecurity. 

She has published research in the fields of Social Psychology and Criminology and has experience in the areas of Social Cognition, Belief Formation, Social Influence, and Self-regulation.

At ACTRI, she has an interest in examining jihadi motivational mechanisms, ideological obsession, the commonalities of right-wing extremism, left-wing extremism and militant jihad extremism, and the effects of jihadi counter-narratives. Moreover, she seeks to examine the dissemination of information to law enforcement, intelligence, academia and civilian communities worldwide, as well as in the formulation of policies aimed to de-radicalize and reintegrate defectors.

Tiffany’s main research focus at ACTRI is on the convergence points between extremism and transnational organized crime, specifically human and wildlife trafficking. She is also interested in researching terrorism and extremism financing.  

Rukaya is currently pursuing her Ph.D. studies at Georgetown University. Rukaya has engaged in research and CVE efforts in East Africa and the Middle East, working on projects that address the gendered dimensions of violent extremism, socio-economic exclusion, and unequal development. She has also done monitoring, evaluation, and policy design aimed at empowering marginalized groups. Rukaya also worked in Countering Piracy in the Horn of Africa (Doha, Qatar) in 2016. She obtained her Master’s degree in Foreign Policy and Diplomacy and a Bachelor’s of Arts in International Relations. She co-authored, ‘Violent Nonstate Actors in Somalia: al- Shabab and Pirates’, in Violent Radical Movements in the Arab World.

At ACTRI, Matteo will continue to explore machine learning and natural language processing when applied to security research.

Lily is a current freshman at Columbia University majoring in International Relations. She has also received certificates of completion for educational programs taken prior to college in the topics of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Terrorism and Counterterrorism, and Flaws in American Democracy. Lily has worked with refugee resettlement groups such as the Nationalities Service Center where she helped relocate and tutor children from all over the world who are currently seeking refuge from conflict in Philadelphia. She has also recently led large fundraising initiatives for the International Rescue Committee, an organization which provides humanitarian aid to civilians trapped in war-torn states. 

At ACTRI, Lily is pursuing research relating to the unfolding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and seeks to better understand the complexities of state-sponsored terrorism.

Michael is a rising senior at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in both Political Science and Psychology alongside a minor in Russian Language and Culture. Michael has prior foreign policy background through a university-funded research position at RIT and has contributed toward a book focused on the shortcomings of modern democratic peace theory, which won a 2021 Henry and Mary Kearse Writing Award. His practical experience pertains to his prior work as a photojournalist and volunteer worker both domestically and abroad in Quito, Ecuador. These experiences have furthered his interest in human-sourced intelligence (HUMINT) and culturally-focused methods of P/CVE.

At ACTRI, Michael is pursuing research on the transnational capabilities of far-right groups to share training, knowledge, weaponry, and otherwise communicate with one another across borders and individual cultures or movements.

Julius is a current student in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, and an incoming MSc student in Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience at Keele University. His main area of research interests focuses on the cognitive processes involved in affective radicalization, prejudice, and the neural components of facial processing. Mr. Calvert’s journey as an undergraduate researcher within the College of Liberal Arts has afforded him many opportunities to cultivate his long-held interest in the etiology of violent crime, political attitudes, and irregular warfare. Julius holds a passion for integrating empiricism into responsible government management. Throughout his career, he aims to build upon the emerging field of political neuroscience, and further aid developments of applied computational modeling of prejudiced and extreme decision-making.

At ACTRI, Julius addresses extremist manifestations online and hopes to apply the aforementioned field of cutting-edge research; he hopes it would be implemented into effective prevention initiatives that could aid individuals who are vulnerable to radicalizing into violent behavior.

Connor Hale is currently enrolled in the Security Policy Studies MA program at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, with a concentration in Transnational Security. He has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and International Affairs from Florida State University. He currently works in the U.S. House of Representatives with Congressman James Moylan (GU-00) and has a legislative portfolio that encompasses homeland security, emergency management, transportation, infrastructure, and space. Connor has previous experience working at various federal agencies like the U.S. Department of State and Defense and think tanks such as the Center for Disaster Risk Policy. At ACTRI, Connor will be analyzing various ways terrorist organizations and other transnational threats utilize emerging technology, with aims to establish a counterterrorism plan in response.

Sarah is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where she majored in both Political Science National Security Studies as well as Religion and Culture with a minor in History. She is currently pursuing her Master’s level studies at Georgetown University.  She is an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) Associate through the Hume Center’s National Security Education Program at Virginia Tech.

At ACTRI, Sarah is pursuing research on domestic terrorism within the context of far-right violent extremist movements within the United States.

Michelle Onchiri is a fourth-year student at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing her Bachelor’s in Government and Politics with a concentration in International Studies as well as a minor in Global Terrorism offered by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). Upon graduation, Michelle will be joining Teach for America Los Angeles, where she also plans to pursue a graduate degree studying terrorism.

At ACTRI, Michelle’s research focus is on domestic terrorism, with a focus on far-right extremism and the implications of domestic terrorist attacks on civilian life.

Naafeh is currently pursuing a Master’s in Politics at New York University; focusing on issues pertaining to civil conflict and global security. Prior to ACTRI, Naafeh interned with the Enough Project, where he assisted with research regarding the conflicts in Sudan, and South Sudan. In 2017, he graduated from NYU Gallatin where he studied Politics and Cinema and went on to work with Tribeca Productions.