Associate Dean of ExL
Tammara “Tammy” Seabrook Anderson is a double alumna of the University of Southern California, having received her Bachelor of Science degree from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and a Master of Science degree from the Rossier School of Education.
In 1981, Tammy began her professional career with the Joint Educational Project (JEP) at the University of Southern California’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. JEP is one of the oldest and largest service-learning programs in the country. In 2002, Tammy became Executive Director with responsibility for the supervision of 8 full time staff and over 80 part time grad/undergrad student employees who contribute each semester to the successful training and placement of approximately 1000 USC students in 70 local sites, including elementary, secondary, charter, and parochial schools, governmental, social service agencies, and hospitals/clinics. Through these community assignments, students connect their university courses with field experience that enriches their education and fosters a strong sense of civic responsibility. While at JEP, Tammy raised over 3 million dollars for the program, including two one million-dollar endowments; making JEP one of the relatively few service-learning programs in the country to be endowed.
For the last 40 years, Tammy has been a leader in experiential/service-learning education, developing university/community programs that prove that “service is education.” In 1987, Tammy was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Society of Internships and Experiential Education, making her one of the youngest and the first African American to join the Board.
In 2002, Tammy co-founded the Los Angeles Higher Education Partnership (LAHEP) – a consortium of 12 colleges and universities in the city whose primary initiative is to increase opportunities for college and university students to actively engage in service projects that enhance quality of life for all citizens of Los Angeles, primarily through curriculum related initiatives such as volunteer experiences, community service-learning, and internships.
In 2004, Tammy was honored with the USC President’s Award for Staff Achievement followed by the Dornsife College’s Outstanding Staff Achievement Award in 2007. In 2010, USC’s Black Alumni Organization presented her with the Barbara Solomon Faculty/Staff Award.
In 2017, Tammy was named Associate Dean of Experiential and Applied Learning in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at USC. In this position, she established a new office that brings together Dornsife’s experiential learning programs and provides strategic direction and planning, serves as a hub for best practice, seeds innovation, and supports faculty engaged in experiential learning.
Service is an integral part of Tammy’s life as she has served on various non-profit boards including California Hospital Medical Center, the RightWay Foundation, and Ednovate.