Profile picture for user shiller

Shannon Hiller

Executive Director of the Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI)
E-mail:
shiller@princeton.edu
External website:
https://bridgingdivides.princeton.edu/people/shannon-hiller

Biography

Shannon Hiller is Executive Director of the Bridging Divides Initiative, a project at SPIA focused on tracking and mitigating political violence in the United States. She most recently served as founding Co-Director of BDI, following nearly a decade of work in international development and foreign policy.

Shannon previously served as Assistant Director for International Affairs and Operations at Princeton University and as an advisor at USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). At OTI, she supported country programs around the world responding to political crisis or transition, as well as a $30M peace and conflict prevention program in Burma. Prior to joining government, Shannon led the creation of an intensive leadership, education, and soccer program for girls at-risk of human trafficking in Northwest Cambodia. She has also worked with women’s rights NGO WomenWin, USAID Uganda, the National Democratic Institute, The Carter Center, Aspen Strategy Group, the Center for International Trade and Security, and as a lead researcher for Pact Cambodia.

Shannon is a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project, 2017 CNAS Brimley Next Gen Security Leaders Fellow, and trustee and co-founder of the non-profit Mitra Network. She holds an MPA from Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs and a BA in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Georgia, where she was a Foundation Fellow.

Recent Publications and News Coverage

Latest will always be available for BDI-wide projects here:

Shannon’s commentary has appeared in print, radio, and television for NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Politico, Governnment.org, Peacock TV, Newsy, ARD German Radio and Television, Axios, Forbes, CNN, and Reuters.

Recent coverage includes:

  • Understanding Threats and Harassment of Local Officials project featured by multiple national outlets in 2023, including NPR and NPR: All Things Considered, the 19th, and Washington Post, as well as used by local media like the Current in Carmel, Indiana, to explain local news in broader context.
  • Local officials also elevated their own stories and denounced violence, often gaining additional coverage including in the Washington Post, ABC7, and NBC Bay Area when citing project data and resources.
  • Featured commentary in 2023 providing context on trends in US political violence, including multiple NPR reports and Reuters special reports.
  • Featured in NPR and CNN on concerns about political violence, noting the extensive preparation to ensure a safe election day.
  • Axios, Forbes, and Reuters covered BDI and ADL’s initial report on threats and harassment against government officials, published alongside an analytical piece written by BDI researchers in the Washington Post;
  • Providing commentary and context for NPR coverage of local organizations working across partisan lines;
  • Commentary in The New York Times and The Hill on the public acceptance of political violence and pro-Trump backlash to the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago;
  • Contributing to USA Today on background, connecting reporters to local and state leaders, to lift up stories of positive preparation ahead of the 2022 midterm elections; 
  • Local media in Grand Travers Michigan covered the release and detailed analysis from BDI’s recent qualitative case studies on political conflict and community response.

Beyond popular media, BDI’s data and research are increasingly cited in new research or reports, continuing to serve as a foundation and ecosystem-wide resource on the state of political violence in the U.S. Examples include references in:

  • The Authoritarian Playbook, Protect Democracy
  • Speaking Out Against Bigoted, Dehumanizing Rhetoric, co-authored with Western States Center
  • Defending Democracy, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
  • Faith in Elections Playbook, Interfaith America
  • Assessing the Effect of Political Violence on American Democracy, Protect Democracy and Johns Hopkins
  • Protecting Pride Organizing Guide, Western States Center
  • Mapping the Threat Environment of San Diego’s Elected Officials, University of San Diego - Violence, Inequality, and Power Lab

Recent academic citations either directly to BDI data or advising on initial projects include: