Lauren Anderson is the Director of Programs at Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global policy engagement. Prior to joining Penn, Lauren Anderson worked within the United Nations family of organizations in the field of sustainable development for 15 years. She was a staff member of the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs, where she supported the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Small Island Developing States Unit. She also served as a consultant to the UN Development Programme Multi-Partner Trust Funds on Ebola and COVID-19. In addition to her work with the United Nations, Anderson was editor of the International Institute for Sustainable Development SDG Knowledge Hub and an adjunct professor in the Africana Studies Program of Rowan University.

Anderson holds a BA in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies. She is also a proud alumna of the School for Field Studies 1997 Costa Rica center!

Favorite SFS Memory: One of my favorite memories was when I shared opera music (a mixed tape!) with a new friend that I made from the local community. He wrote me a thank you note that I still have to this day on my desk.