She received her Ph.D. in Administration and Supervision from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Anderson worked for five years as a research assistant and research associate for the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). During this time, she served on the committee for the Professional Standards of National Leaders (2015, formerly the ISLLC standards) and worked with The Wallace Foundation on the development of a five-year, $47 million initiative to help universities improve principal preparation. She has also been contracted by the American Institute of Research (AIR) for her state policy work and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to support the development of the 2015 PSEL and 2016 National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards (formerly, the ELCC standards).