UNO Students, Professor to Present Terrorism Research at Nation’s Capitol

Omaha – Research on terrorism by two University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) students and their advisor will be presented to members of Congress in Washington D.C. as part of the annual “Posters on the Hill” showcase taking place Monday, April 28, through Tuesday, April 29.

Senior Samantha Woracek, recent master of Business Administration graduate Katy Connealy and Assistant Professor of Management Gina Ligon will showcase their research along with other undergraduate research groups from around the country. Out of a total 600 submissions, only 60 were chosen to present in Washington D.C.

Woracek, Connealy and Ligon’s study, “A Case Study of Marketing and Management Practices in Two Violent Extremist Organizations” looks at how two terrorist groups, the Japanese Red Army and Weather Underground, used violence to achieve their objectives by utilizing a managerial framework.

“I am so proud of Katy and Samantha’s work on this project,” Ligon said. “It so exciting to see their hard work pay off with this national attention."

The study is one of the first to examine violent groups using marketing and management theory. After the presentation, the three plan on submitting the study to the Case Research Journal along with the paper’s co-author, Becky Morris, a professor of management at UNO.

“This work is a significant milestone in a research program that is of great importance to our national security,” said Scott Snyder, UNO’s associate vice chancellor for research. “We’re thrilled that these students will be able to share their results on a national stage.

Snyder noted that the research was supported by the Fund for Undergraduate Scholarly Experiences (FUSE), a program that supports high quality faculty mentored student research at UNO.

“The support for student research at UNO has been overwhelmingly positive, and I am grateful to have facilities in the College of Business where we can do this important research on unconventional leadership,” Ligon said.

As part of the “Posters on the Hill” event, all three authors will have the opportunity to showcase the research with representatives from Capitol Hill, including Nebraska Senators Mike Johanns and Deb Fischer, as well as Nebraska Congressmen Lee Terry and Jeff Fortenberry.

Also, as part of the event, Woracek, Connealy and Ligon will take part in a special, invite-only presentation for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). As part of the executive branch, the OTSP is charged with providing the President and his senior staff with accurate, relevant and timely scientific and technical advice.

Woracek will be graduating with her bachelor of science in business administration in May and has already accepted a job offer with Booz Hamilton, a management-and-technology consulting firm for the U.S. Government. She is one of the first students from the College of Business Administration to earn a research grant from FUSE.

Connealy is a native of Decatur, Neb. and is currently working for Union Pacific. She is in the process of pursuing a Ph.D. degree from the University of Maryland in organizational behavior.

Ligon is a nationally-recognized expert in terrorism research who has been with UNO since 2012. She has worked closely with several agencies within the Department of Defense and is one of the the program directors for the USSTRATCOM Leader Fellowship Program, which launched earlier this year.

For questions or any additional information, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at unonews@unomaha.edu or by phone at 402.554.2129.

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