Contact Information
Rowley G139
(703) 284-3338
Academic Credentials
B.S., Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi
M.Ed., William Carey University
Teaching Areas:
- counterintelligence
- terrorism/counterterrorism
- juvenile justice
- forensic science
- criminal justice administration
- executive leadership and organizational change
- thesis
Research Interests:
- terrorism
- transnational organized crime
- homeland security
Dr. Cynthia O'Donnell has had a multifaceted career as a criminal justice educator and practitioner. As an instructor of biology, chemistry, criminal justice, and the former head of a forensic science program, she also has experience as a police sergeant, law enforcement instructor, and police academy training coordinator.
Dr. O'Donnell recently published the book The Mounting Threat of Domestic Terrorism: Al Qaeda and the Salvadoran Gang MS-13. She is a reviewing editor for the Journal of Gang Research, a publication of the National Gang Crime Research Center in Chicago, IL.
Her professional affiliations include the American Criminal Justice Society (ACJS), American Society of Criminology (ASC), International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA), International Latino Gang Investigator’s Association (ILGIA), and the International Association of Counterterrorism and Security Professionals (IACSP).