Anderson, Nancy W.

Nancy W. Anderson, born August 7, 1922, served as an officer in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) (1944-46), in part as a Medical Librarian at Bethesda. From 1947 to 1949 she was an Informational Control Officer for the CIA. Her environmental work began in the early 1970's when she volunteered for the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) and started editing their newsletter. At that time she also became the Chairman of the Reading Conservation Commission, which looked at water supply and flood plain conservation issues. Because of this work, Anderson Meadow in Reading was named in her honor. Anderson also served as a consultant for the Massachusetts Institute of Governmental Services at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, helping them to organize environmental evening classes. Beginning in 1975, she was coordinator for the Environmental Citizen Advocacy Program, a joint venture of the Lincoln Filene Center and the Tufts program in Environmental Policy. From 1978 to 1993, Anderson was the Director of Environmental Affairs at the Lincoln Filene Center (LFC). In 1979 she founded the New England Environmental Network (NEEN), an educational network of those concerned about the environment. While at Tufts (1978-1994), Anderson was active in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and served as the Regional Chairman for their Commission on Education and Communication. In 1989 (or 1990), she co-founded the Eastern Africa Environmental Network to organize environmental educational programs for Africa. Anderson received numerous environmental and citizenship awards and was a sought after speaker on topics related to the environment and environmental activism. Her publications ranged from newsletters and short articles to handbooks and conference summaries. She also served as an advisor or director for countless environmental organizations including, Grand Circle Travel, Environmental Lobby of Massachusetts, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, the Coolidge Center for Environmental Leadership, the Water Supply Citizens Advi