Ché Anderson aims to be part of the change

Finding new ways to engage with our city and give back to it also gives community members opportunities to better understand what we do, how we do it and why we do it.

CHÉ ANDERSON

A vibrant academic health sciences center undergoing transformative growth.

An energetic and accomplished community development leader. UMass Chan Medical School and Ché Anderson, assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations, are a perfect match.

“The synergy of being part of an acclaimed institution with great access to resources that could benefit the city, combined with the opportunity to stay connected to the city and continue providing benefit to the community, seemed like a match made in heaven,” said Anderson, who joined UMass Chan in January 2021 after seven years in the Office of the City Manager of Worcester. “Finding new ways to engage with our city and give back to it also gives community members opportunities to better understand what we do, how we do it and why we do it.”

Anderson’s vision is for UMass Chan to be the most community-engaged institution of higher education in Worcester. “I want us to be at the top of people’s minds when they think of opportunities in partnership, whether with the schools or the city or nonprofit entities. I want to make sure that we’re actively present when it comes to working for equity and community uplift.”

Anderson has already made a lasting mark on the local community, most visibly with the POW! WOW! Worcester murals public art project that can be seen on walls across the city. Beginning with his undergraduate years at the College of the Holy Cross, through two years as director of student services at the Worcester campus of MCPHS and seven years of increasingly responsible roles in the Office of Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus, Anderson has cultivated connections and gotten things done, practices he continues at UMass Chan.

While he has been sought from across the country and around the globe for his expertise in organizing and executing complex, creative projects like POW! WOW! Worcester, Anderson is committed to his adopted city. The Manhattan native is quick to answer the question, “Why Worcester?”

Anderson cites the Japanese concept of “Gemba,” used in business parlance to describe the most important place where the real work to achieve continuous improvement happens; he appreciates Worcester as a place where individuals can effect real change.

“Anyone can go to a big city and be part of the hustle and bustle without having an impact. But not everybody can go to a mid-sized working people’s city that’s developing and really be part of that development,” he explained. “To be able to roll your sleeves up, get your hands dirty and actually move something is exciting.”

Anderson’s primary charges as assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations for UMass Chan are to build alliances, organize community events and encourage volunteerism. The first thing Anderson did on the job was familiarize himself with the UMass Chan IMPACT 2025 Strategic Plan to align his still-evolving action plan with the goals of the institution.

Having gained an understanding of the scope of the Medical School’s engagement with the local community, Anderson continues to meet one-on-one with many campus members and community partners. He is learning what’s been done, what has and hasn’t worked, and what can be improved upon. He gladly makes time in his schedule to speak to anyone with an interest in community engagement.

Partnerships now under his purview include UMass Chan’s North Quadrant Support Services initiative, which supports Worcester Public School students in some of the district’s most economically challenged neighborhoods; he is also helping connect UMass Chan students to community service opportunities. He is a board member of several local organizations, including the United Way of Central Massachusetts, the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the Worcester Historical Museum, and was recently appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker as a member of the Governing Council of the Mass Cultural Council.

Anderson also serves on the Rose Kennedy Greenway Public Art Advisory Group and Food and Convo, an online platform that explores the intersectionality of public art, the creative culinary industry, music and shared human-centered experience. Anderson was part of the Worcester Business Journal Power 50 list in 2019 and was named to its 40 Under 40 list in 2018 and was Worcester Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2016.

He credits his passion for his work to the many mentors who have guided and inspired him. The earliest and most influential was his mother, who instilled in her children the importance of being a positive force in their community, whether by cleaning it up or staying out of trouble and focusing on education. And he is grateful for support and tutelage from everyone at UMass Chan as he becomes a key player in its intensified focus on diversity, inclusion and health equity.

“I appreciate that everyone has been very open to new ideas,” he said. “Our institution truly has the ability to move the needle with new collaborations, new partnerships and new coalition building.”

In one such new endeavor, Anderson is honored to serve as program co-chair for Worcester Homecoming, a collaboration bringing together business, government, health care, education and arts leaders to showcase Worcester’s emerging businesses, culture and people. UMass Chan Medical School is a sponsor, with Chancellor Michael F. Collins serving as finance co-chair. Planning is underway for an inaugural two-day event in June. ■