Born in Shoal Brook and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Anderson comes from a family with Mi’kmaq and Inuit ancestry. He is also a member of the Mekap’sk (Northern Peninsula) Mi’kmaq Band. Dr. Anderson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in science and education from MUN. He also holds a PhD in educational administration and leadership from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has been a teacher and principal in four schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, all while remaining active in serving the school district and the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association (NLTA). During his time working within the school system, Dr. Anderson served as president of the former Sandwich Bay Branch of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, branch president of the Provincial Small Schools’ Special Interest Council, president of the School Administrator Council Western Region, member of the NLTA Collective Bargaining Team, and panel member of the NLTA Panel of Public Education. Dr. Anderson later became an education professor at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Calgary (where he was awarded the teaching excellence award from the University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association), before becoming the associate dean of education at the University of New Brunswick. In 2011 Dr. Anderson joined MUN as dean of the Faculty of Education, where he served until 2019. He is the former president of the Association of Canadian Deans of Education, and former vice president (Anglophone) of the Canadian Society for Studies in Education. Since 2002, he has also been an active member of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement (ICSEI), where he served in various roles, including on the board of directors. Dr. Anderson has been an active member of various committees hosted by the University of the Arctic, including the Arctic Indigenous Issues Committee from 2012-2020, the Academic Council Indigenous Interest Committee from 2015-2021, the Thematic Network for Teacher Education for Teacher Education, Social Justice and Diversity from 2016-present, and the Verdde Thematic Network from 2018-present. His primary university research areas are school leadership and school effectiveness. He has also conducted significant research into success in Indigenous (Aboriginal) education and has worked on various international projects. He currently serves on a number of national and international research groups. His most current work is research into Canadian Perspectives for Teacher Development in the North (An Inuit and Sami centric view). Research Interests: School Improvement and Effectiveness, Educational Administration, Teacher Leadership, Rural Schools, Indigenous Education.