Sneakers to the Ground Leading a New Legacy of Learning in Topeka and Beyond Once again, there’s history being made in Topeka, Kansas. The school system once at the center of 1954’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education case is now being led for the first time by an African American woman—and she’s well aware of the powerful message that sends her students. “Just seeing me walk through the door changes mindsets,” Dr. Tiffany Anderson tells SchoolCEO. Anderson has a long legacy of changing lives, along with an unrivaled passion for service. And though she’s spent a majority of her 27 years in education as an administrator, she still considers herself a teacher. “The title is superintendent, but, ultimately, I’m teaching and learning everyday,” she says. When we sat down with Anderson, her humility spoke volumes—she keeps her thoughts and her heart centered on students, especially the most vulnerable. Through four superintendencies in three different states, she has facilitated and overseen transformative initiatives for tens of thousands of kids, all while showing up for her communities at every turn. With her business suit and signature white tennis shoes always on, this daughter of two retired pastors says service and purpose are ingrained in who she is. Fortunately for many students and counting, she’s a superintendent.
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SchoolCEO
/ SPRING 2020
Dr. Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent of Topeka Public Schools
