Theresa Anderson, PhD, is a Senior Fellow in the Workforce, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute. She leads teams conducting in-depth, mixed-methods research on workforce, education, and social safety net programs and policies. Her work focuses on improving access to and success in education across the life course, from early childhood to adulthood, and examining how postsecondary education can support families and communities.
A national expert on issues pregnant and parenting students and families face, Anderson informs policy and practice strategies to help them achieve their goals. She coleads the SPARK Collaborative, a multiorganization partnership advancing data, research, and awareness to support student parents and their families in achieving their education goals. She also specializes in US social safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and has examined opportunities to better align human services and education systems to promote student success.
Anderson holds a BA from Hampshire College and an MPP and PhD in public policy and public administration from the George Washington University.