Biography
Dr. Mikal Anderson is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Prototype Entities – an equity focused management consulting firm that delivers solutions to maximize the educational and economic outcomes of underserved populations. He also is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Equity in Education (EE) – a nonprofit organization focused on improving the academic, professional, and economic outcomes of people of color and those who are from low-income backgrounds in the United States and global south.
Having nearly 20 years of experience as an educational practitioner, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, and consultant, Dr. Anderson has witnessed and encountered first-hand the complex issues that perpetuate educational inequity and poverty within urban communities. He holds the knowledge of decades of national reforms aimed at improving the quality of teaching, increasing accountability for districts and schools, and creating more and better choices for families through the creation of new schools and investments in human capital. More specifically, he manages relationships between universities and K-12 institutions to enhance teacher preparation and community-based programs, guides partnerships between local educational agencies and the private sector in the areas of career and technical education and workforce development, and supports organizations with their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, strategic planning, talent acquisition and management, talent development, program evaluation, and instructional processes. Additionally, as a leadership and executive coach, Dr. Anderson consults with existing and aspiring leaders to align their professional development, performance, and personal goals to advance their careers and achieve maximum impact.
During his tenure in New Orleans, Dr. Anderson served on the YouthForce NOLA Steering Committee where he worked collaboratively with systems leaders from Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District to strategize and implement school redesign efforts related to career and technical education in alignment to Louisiana’s Jump Start Graduation Pathways. In addition, he consulted and thought partnered with leaders at the state-wide Recovery School District on strategies to revise the OneApp enrollment process; and make school selection procedures more inclusive of the diverse array of programs offered in New Orleans, rather than a system driven by entire schools as the units of selection. Dr. Anderson also led efforts with colleagues at the Recovery School District and national consultants to codify best practices in special education and generate a blueprint to ensure quality instruction and services for special needs populations in all New Orleans public schools. Prior to his work in New Orleans, he served in numerous instructional, cultural, and supervisory roles as an educational practitioner in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Dr. Anderson is an active member of the community who deeply supports initiatives that further the development of youth. He currently serves as the Youth and Education Network Facilitator for the Greater New Orleans Funders Network where he convenes regional and national philanthropic leaders to strategize and implement sustainable solutions to challenges faced by youth in the region. In addition, he serves on the City of New Orleans Workforce Development Board, the Bernard C. Watson Research Advisory Board at Temple University, and the Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Episcopal Academy located in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Dr. Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Education in Secondary Education from Temple University, and a Doctor of Education degree in Global Education from the University of Southern California. Additionally, Dr. Anderson obtained a Certificate in Education Policy and Program Evaluation as well as an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, completed graduate studies in Special Education at Saint Joseph's University, and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship Essentials from Harvard Business School.