Sarah Forland is a senior research associate with the Digital Impact and Governance Initiative (DIGI) at New America. She provides project programming and research support for various DIGI projects.
With a background in communications and international relations, Forland is interested in how the information space and emerging technology impact public policy and governance, as well as national security. Prior to joining New America, Forland served as a research assistant at the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, working on civic engagement and public policy programming. Through her position at the S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communications, she researched the impact of social media and disinformation global news systems and information integrity. Forland also worked with the American Security Project, where she published articles on U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication.
Most recently she participated in the Department of State’s 2021 Critical Language Scholarship program studying Portuguese, while completing an academic research consultancy with the Global Engagement Center’s Technology Engagement Team.
Forland holds a B.A. in international relations and political discourse from the University of Alabama and received her M.A in international relations and M.S. in public relations from Syracuse University.