Dr. Andreana Prichard is an historian, professor, author, and podcaster. Originally from Ventura, CA, Andreana attended Kenyon College in rural Ohio. She majored in African History and was a four-time All American swimmer. After college, Andreana worked as an Admissions Counselor at St. Lawrence University in northern New York state. She moved to Chicago in 2004 to attend graduate school, earning a PhD in African History from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL in 2011. Andreana now lives in Oklahoma City where she is Wick Cary Associate Professor in the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma.

Andreana’s research focuses generally on the history of Western evangelical development initiatives in East Africa. Since 2018, Andreana has been working on a project about the history of orphanages, of Western evangelical development initiatives in Africa, and of the global “do-gooder” economy in East Africa. The book uses the 2014 federal legal case of Oklahoma missionary Matthew Lane Durham as a lens through which to understand this history. A work of true crime reportage bolstered by extensive historical research and subject-matter expertise, she details the story of the remarkable events that culminated in Matt’s imprisonment—including claims of demonic possession and pornography “addiction,” the proddings of a charlatan Biblical Counselor, the work of an illegal for-profit orphanage, potentially coerced confessions, and the trafficking of “paper” orphans. She navigates a shadowy underworld of international child trafficking, unregulated for-profit orphanages, corrupt child welfare officials, unscrupulous church leaders, and IRS tax fraudsters to bring the shocking story of what has happened since Matt’s conviction.

In addition to writing and teaching, Andreana supports faculty through the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development. Her favorite roles, however, are that of mom and wife. She and her family, along with their dog Blue, enjoy spending time outside and traveling in a camper to places with water and sand.