Norma Anderson is the founder and president of the William Averette Anderson Fund for Hazard and Disaster Mitigation Education and Research (aka The Bill Anderson Fund), established to promote the study of mitigating the impact of disasters and hazards on vulnerable and underserved populations in the United States.
The fund facilitates a successful graduate school experience for students representing underrepresented populations. The focus is to significantly increase the number of persons of color who perform research and are educators, practitioners, and research funders in hazard and disaster mitigation. The Bill Anderson Fund is fondly named after her late husband, Bill Anderson, who dedicated his career to mitigating the impacts of disasters and hazards.
Anderson has spent more than four decades in leadership positions in education, corporate communications and administration, training, IT consulting, sales, and supply chain management. She is a recognized leader in creating successful programs that help build the skills and career opportunities to underserved and underrepresented urban communities.
She was an educator in Montgomery County, Maryland, Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio. She also served as board vice chair to UrbanEd, Inc., a nonprofit that provides District of Columbia children, youth, and adults with technology-driven education, information, and skill development. Anderson earned a bachelor's in education from The Ohio State University and a master's in education from Arizona State University Tempe. She lives in Randallstown, Maryland.