Samantha Custer

Samantha Custer is Director of Policy Analysis for AidData, a research lab at William & Mary's Global Research Institute. Her interdisciplinary team blends qualitative and quantitative approaches to answer real-world questions in a way that is both academically rigorous and policy-relevant.

Samantha's research examines the influence of development investments and public diplomacy efforts, generates new evidence on the use and impact of open data, and leverages surveys to learn from the experiences of decision-makers in low- and middle-income countries regarding the impact of external money and ideas on domestic policy reforms. Samantha has published studies in partnership with the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the National Bureau for Asian Research, the Asia Society Policy Institute, along with numerous philanthropic organizations and governments. She also teaches courses for the Whole of Government Center of Excellence at William & Mary on how to measure and monitor the influence of great powers such as China, Russia, and the US.

Prior to AidData, Samantha was Director for Language, Education and Development (LEAD) Asia for SIL International, providing consulting support for partners in 13 countries, overseeing 2 country offices, and coordinating the Asia Multilingual Education Working Group for UNESCO Bangkok. She served as Associate Director for West Indonesia brokering partnerships with the government, coordinating with local partners, and overseeing community-led multilingual education programs in three provinces. She also researched open data movements and citizen feedback initiatives with the World Bank, co-taught a class on US national security with former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and conducted performance monitoring for Save the Children US to ensure sponsored children were benefiting from its community development programs. She holds a dual masters in Foreign Service and Public Policy from Georgetown University.