William Edward Anderson is a dynamic leader and speaker for our time. He is the Vice President of U.S. Operations for Children of Grace, a San Francisco Bay Area-based Non-profit organization that delivers educational, health and holistic support for orphaned and impoverished Ugandan young people. He also serves as Principal Partner & CEO of The Vision Catalyst Group, a Leadership and Organizational Development enterprise. Previously, Mr. Anderson served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Serving California Foundation and for fourteen (14) years as Regional Executive Director for Prison Fellowship Ministries in the Southwest United States; during which time he created Step Out Approved & Renewed (SOAR), a comprehensive program for inmates preparing to transition from incarceration to successful restoration into the community. He is eagerly sought out by churches, government entities, educational institutions, businesses, and community organizations to present his message of hope, social change, and responsibility.

Prior to his role in Non-Profit leadership, for more than a decade, Mr. Anderson lent his talents to the corporate sector in the Microelectronics Industry, serving as American Sales Manager with the international high-tech firm, Entegris, Inc., of Chaska, Minnesota, and subsequently, as Director of Global Sales and Chairman of the American Continental Account Team for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML), of Veldhoven, The Netherlands.

A native of Berkeley, California, Mr. Anderson is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned his degree in Communication. He has completed coursework at Arizona State University West, Graduate School of Management as well as Graduate work in Conflict Resolution through Trinity Theological Seminary. During his time at Stanford Mr. Anderson won three varsity letters as a running-back/kick returner for the nationally ranked and two- time Bowl Champion Stanford Cardinal football team, where he was coached and mentored by NFL Hall of Fame and three-time Super Bowl Champion Head Coach the late Bill Walsh. His leadership and athletic prowess led to him being chosen as the Cardinal Special Teams Captain and the Stanford Football Unsung Hero Award Winner.

Deeply involved in religious and civic life, Mr. Anderson has served on several Gubernatorial and Legislative Task Forces; he has been appointed to several State and County Commissions, and has participated on numerous nonprofit Boards of Directors. He was recognized via formal proclamation, in 2006, as a “Phoenix Street Saint”, by former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Mr. Anderson is an active alumnus of the Black Board of Directors Project, who awarded him with the Dr. Lincoln J. Ragsdale Outstanding Director Award in 2014. He is also a Centurion/Fellow of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Mr. Anderson descends from generations of church and lay activists. His paternal great grandfather, Rev. Thomas O. Anderson, a close personal friend of Dr. Booker T. Washington, was the founding pastor of Washington Chapel AME Church in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1898. His maternal forebears helped found Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Oakland, California in 1929. Mr. Anderson’s greatest passion is for assisting, coaching and guiding marginalized young people to expand their horizons and overcome the barriers and challenges they face, in order to achieve their highest potential success in life. To this end, in 2006, he co-founded the Angel Tree Youth Football Clinic at Stanford University, which he continues to lead each year. The annual one day event brings over 350, 7-13 year old boys, from high risk communities across Northern and Central California, together with high-quality, high-character former College and NFL Football players for a day of fun, encouragement, physical activity, teamwork, leadership development, mentoring and positive male role-modeling. The theme of the event is “Lift Them Up”.

Mr. Anderson has four adult children and three treasured grandchildren, and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anderson’s message and work have relevance for leadership throughout society.