Anand partners with policymakers, educators and stakeholders to think bigger and more creatively on behalf of students, drawing on his unique perspective from both inside and outside of the education space. His expertise is rooted in a career that began as an education reporter for two major daily newspapers, deepened during his time as Chief of Staff for the Boston Public Schools and has expanded since joining Education First in 2009.

Anand currently manages a team of Education First’s researchers and project managers, providing them the coaching, professional learning and feedback to thrive on projects and grow as professionals. In his career at Education First, he has led projects on strategic planning, organizational growth and development, grantee and nonprofit networks, cradle-to-career alignment, and technical assistance to state and district agencies.

A former Chief of Staff for the Boston Public Schools, Anand has overseen strategic planning or program design across the country for school districts (Baltimore City Public Schools, Denver Public Schools); nonprofits seeking expansion (Buffalo Prep, Edreports.org, Teaching Matters, Eskolta School Research and Design); associations seeking to grow membership (National Association of State Boards of Education); philanthropic organizations aiming to increase impact (Cameron Foundation, Gates Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation); and state and federal education agencies (District of Columbia, Delaware, National Assessment Governing Board). His work in state policy includes co-authoring the Tennessee and Maryland Race to the Top applications, supporting Delaware’s Talent Cooperative, and working on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) planning and implementation with four states. Previously, Anand was an education reporter at the Boston Globe and Times-Picayune of New Orleans. 

Anand earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He lives in the Washington, DC area with his family.