Cami Anderson

Cami Anderson (born 1971) is an American educator and entrepreneur, activist for racial and gender equity, government leader, and CEO. She was Superintendent for both District 79, Alternative Schools and Programs for the New York City Department of Education from 2006 to 2011 and Newark Public Schools from 2011 to 2015. In 2015, Anderson founded ThirdWay Solutions, an organization dedicated to finding innovative and inclusive solutions to the most intractable challenges leaders face in pursuit of equity. 
== Early Life and Education ==
Cami was born in 1971 in Los Angeles. She is one of twelve children, 9 of which were adopted, to Sheila and Parker Anderson. Cami received a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Education from University of California, Berkeley in 1993. She went on to receive her master's degree in Education and Public Policy from Harvard University in 1997. While at Harvard, she worked at The Harvard Family Research Project which is now known as the Global Family Research Project, was a research assistant at the Center for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), and served as a teaching assistant for Dr. Gary Orfield at The Harvard Center for School Desegregation. 
== Career ==
Cami began her career as a youth theatre director at the Santa Monica Playhouse in her teens. After college, she was a 6th grade teacher and was nominated by her district as the Sallie Mae First Year Teacher of The Year. While teaching, Cami co-founded Lullabies Productions with Taggart Hansen, working with young people who were struggling to produce original plays about identity and conflict at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. 
In 1997, Anderson served as the executive director of Teach For America|Teach for America New York, where she grew the organization from 3 to 12 employees and over 200 volunteers, and from $250,000 in annual revenue to over $4 million. She also launched Teach For America Week, accompanying notable and influential people from all sectors to guest teach in classrooms across New York City. Cami was the chief program officer of New Leaders|New Leaders for New Schools, an American non-profit that aims to recruit and train school leaders. Cami was also the issues and strategy director for Friends of Cory Booker. 
Cami was appointed Senior Superintendent of District 79, Alternative Schools and Programs for the New York city Department of Education in 2006 by Joel Klein, former chancellor of the New York City Schools. During this time, Cami served 30,000 students under the age of 21 and 60,000 students in correctional facilities, suspension centers, and drug treatment facilities, in addition to students seeking a GED, career and technical education, and services for teen parents. 
In 2011, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appointed Cami as Superintendent of Newark Public Schools where she served until 2015. During her tenure, Cami negotiated four ground-breaking labor contracts with unions, improved graduation rates by 12%, and was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. 
== Awards and Recognition ==
Anderson was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century|Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2012, and is the recipient of the 2008 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Excellence and The Nationals Points of Light Award for Service in 2016. She is an Aspen Fellow and was a Princeton University Public Policy Fellow in Residence. 
== Personal Life ==
Cami Anderson and longtime partner Jared Robinson have one son. They lived in Harlem for many years and currently reside in Los Angeles. 
Category:1971 births
Category:American educators
Category:American entrepreneurs
Category:American activists