Elana D. Anderson, PhD is an artist, educator, and scholar. She holds a BA in African American Studies with minors in both English Literature and French from Chicago State University (2007), an MA (2009) and PhD (2013) in African Studies, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies (2013) from Howard University. Dr. Anderson also holds an Advanced Professional Educators Certificate for the State of Maryland (K-12). Dr. Anderson is a member of the African Studies Association (ASA), American Guild for Musical Artists (AGMA), National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), and National Council for Negro Women (NCNW). She is the Co-Director of the Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press in Washington, DC and currently serves on the faculties of the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theater and Dance and NDI New Mexico. Anderson founded Artists/Architects of Kheperu (A/AOK) in 2014 and is Director of its 45 Degrees Project, a multi-generational adult summer dance intensive.