George Anderson, Partner

Places lived: United States (Boston, Los Angeles, Baltimore)

Education: Harvard University, master's in human development and psychology; Haverford College, bachelor's in philosophy

Experience: Toffler Associates (principal), Accenture (senior consultant), Teach for America (corps member)

Focus: Corporate governance

Intellectual influences: Philosophy, contemporary American fiction

Turning points: Deciding to attend Haverford; serving in Teach for America; joining Tapestry and helping to build it

George is a person of contrasts, but not contradictions. At Haverford College, he studied philosophy. He also played varsity lacrosse for four years and captained the team. "I wanted to do both and liked the idea that I was able to have a foot in both camps. Playing a contact sport didn't mean being a complete knucklehead and studying philosophy didn't mean being a pretentious intellectual. You don't have to choose and then be miserable or miserably one-sided."

Philosophy for George was about "asking the hardest questions. I am interested in the answers, of course, but also the process of continually asking why. I am still doing a lot of that today at Tapestry."

After Haverford, George served two years with Teach for America. In 1992 the program was in its second year and riots had just occurred in South Central Los Angeles, where George was assigned to teach.

"There were 30 African-American and Latino kids in my class. I taught in Spanish and English," he recalls. "There was violence in the community, but that wasn't a significant part of my experience. I didn't encounter the racial animosity the TV coverage of the riots showed. All my students' families wanted the same thing: a good education for their kids, access to opportunity, a chance at a better life."

What truths did this former philosophy student learn while he was teaching? "I did not make as much of a difference as I had hoped I would. I definitely didn't 'save the world' or solve the systemic problems in my district. I do think I was better than the alternative – no regular classroom teacher and a series of long-term substitutes – and I learned to care deeply about public education."

At Accenture, George got "a fast, solid foundation in basic business thinking." Soon after, he joined Toffler Associates for the chance to help launch a new professional services firm with renowned futurists Alvin and Heidi Toffler. He successfully led much of the firm's commercial business activities, helping his clients develop strategies to improve competitive differentiation and enter new markets.

That experience carried over when he joined Tapestry. George is particularly proud of what he has helped to create at Tapestry – both internally at the firm and externally in the relationships Tapestry has with its hundreds of members. "When I joined, it was just a handful of us in a tiny office with two clients and a loosely defined description of what we would be. Building Tapestry, especially our board relationships, has been incredibly important to me."

"I have a strong sense of service, as do several of the partners. I am not sure where that comes from; my mother, perhaps, or maybe from my studies and experience. I am still involved in public education reform, but now as a trustee for a network of urban, public charter schools in Boston."

George lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife and two daughters.

Download George Anderson's Formal Biography