Sybol Anderson, PhD

Dr. Sybol Anderson is Executive Director of Leadership Southern Maryland, a nonprofit organization that fosters collaboration among executives and emerging leaders for the greater good of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties. 

Anderson, who was born and raised in Calvert County, earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, becoming the 19th African-American woman to earn a doctorate in philosophy in the US. Before joining Leadership Southern Maryland, she served as Director of Diversity in Research Programs at National Medical Fellowships, Executive Director of Equity & Inclusive Diversity at the College of Southern Maryland; inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Loyola University New Orleans, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. While at St. Mary’s College, Anderson co-founded and directed the DeSousa-Brent Scholars Program, a success accelerator for first-generation and low-income students; the concept and design of DeSousa-Brent is rooted in her philosophical work on recognition.

Anderson serves on the boards on the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, Inc. and the East-John Youth Center, Inc. She has published several books and articles in philosophy, including Hegel’s Theory of Recognition: From Oppression to Ethical Liberal Modernity. Her awards include the Lucille Clifton Award, Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching, Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Henry C. Welcome Grant, and Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship.