Cannonball Conference Speaker Preaches Value of Joy
10/24/2024
Bursting with energy, SLU alumna Tiffany Anderson, Ph.D. (Ed ’94, Grad Ed ’01), took to the stage in the Wool Ballrooms and talked about the importance of joy.
Anderson delivered the keynote address at the Cannonball Conference on Thursday, Oct. 24. A packed crowd of SLU staff listened as the ebullient Anderson shared her presentation titled “Hardwired for Connection and Happiness: Mindset Matters.”
Joy was a common theme of Anderson’s remarks. She opened the speech by saying how thrilled she was to be in a room overflowing with gratitude. Prior to her remarks, SLU President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., asked people in the room to shout out their co-workers. For nearly 20 minutes, SLU staffers shouted out and praised their colleagues.
Anderson recounted her career path. Anderson is the first black woman superintendent in Topeka, Kansas, home of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education legislation that ended legal segregation, changing schools across the nation. She is one of the nation’s 16 Leaders to Learn From identified in 2014 by Education Week.
Before she worked in Topeka, she gained national attention for her work in the Jennings School District in the St. Louis area. Prior to taking the Jennings job, Anderson said some people around her expressed reservations about her possibly taking a job at a district that was in rough shape. Anderson said she has long felt people are “called to be in the place we are” and took the job.
“It’s all on purpose,” she said. “Nothing is by accident.”
At Jennings, Anderson led change in the district. Test scores, graduation rates, and life for students improved. A key part of the turnaround was joy.
Anderson was still living in Kansas City and made the 4-hour commute daily. Every day she said she began her day with joy — she listened to music, sermons, and other positive things on her commute.
“How you start your day matters,” she said.
Anderson challenged the SLU staff to start their own days with joy. In addition to starting the day right, Anderson preached the need to end the day right as well. She said ending the day in anger can mess with the brain.
Taking care of the brain was a big point of emphasis for Anderson. She noted how studies have shown that happy people live longer and healthier lives. She encouraged the SLU community to focus on boosting their serotonin and dopamine levels.
To do this, Anderson encouraged the staff to write down one thing they want to start doing to bring more joy to their lives and write down one thing they want to eliminate.
A Billiken alum, Anderson expressed a deep love for the University. It’s the place where she met her late husband, Stanley Anderson, M.D. She often wears SLU blue in her daily life.
She encourages people to live life the Billiken Way. According to Anderson, that means joyfully leading on purpose, building relationships and seeking connection, and being bold and moving beyond the status quo.
“What you do, or don't do, can change and impact someone's life,” she said.
The Cannonball event takes place annually to recognize staff contributions to SLU. The event gets its name from the battlefield injury suffered by St. Ignatius in 1521.