In the past six years, Anderson has shifted his career away from municipal government and toward higher education, working to connect with the Worcester community through the lens of health equity.
Now at UMass Chan, Anderson has developed Dynamic Futures, a novel program providing educational access and career pathways into the field of behavioral health for students underrepresented in medicine. Having raised $300,000 for the initiative, Dynamic Futures is on its third cohort of students with former students now in college as psychology majors. Off the clock, Anderson launched the Barbershop Run Club, an open-for-all community running group he founded with his barber Michaelangelo Mangual. Anderson serves on the boards of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, United Way of Central Massachusetts, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment. In 2021, former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker appointed Anderson to the Mass Cultural Council’s governing board, and he is the sole board member from Worcester County to currently serve.
What did getting the 40u40 award mean to you at the time? It was an honor to be listed with so many peers and friends doing amazing work in Worcester. I was also very excited to tell my family back home.
What does it mean to you now? It’s helped launch me to higher heights.
What advice do you have for this year’s 40u40 winners? Don’t forget the feeling you had when you first were notified of this accomplishment; use it to fuel your work, passions, and to figure your next steps on those days that are harder than others.
How has Central Massachusetts changed since you won the 40u40 award? The world has changed so drastically in the last six years, and I believe Central Massachusetts has seen lots of development, paired with tons of community engagement to ask questions of “Who are we?” and “Who do we wish to be?”
