Real West Virginian of the Week: Brittany Keys Anderson builds opportunity through education

By Hannah Yost, RealWV

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Brittany Keys Anderson has worn many hats throughout her career in education — classroom teacher, principal, higher education professional, educator advocate, and children’s book author.

But through each new chapter, one thing has remained constant: her belief in the power of education and her commitment to West Virginia.

“I am definitely a West Virginia girl through and through,” Anderson said.

Born and raised in West Virginia, Anderson now lives in Bluefield with her husband and son. She earned both her elementary education degree and master’s degree from Concord University before completing an education specialist degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction.

Her connection to education, however, began long before she earned her first degree.

Growing up in a household where education was considered nonnegotiable, Anderson learned early that knowledge could provide opportunities regardless of where someone came from.

“I learned really early that you could really strengthen yourself through education,” Anderson said. “It was just honestly something that nobody really could take from you.”

That belief eventually led Anderson into the classroom, where she saw firsthand the difference educators can make in a child’s life. Her career later took her into school administration and higher education, experiences that expanded her focus from supporting students to supporting the teachers who serve them.

Today, Anderson is a faculty learning liaison with Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, or BranchED. Her work includes supporting educator preparation programs, future teachers, current educators, and school districts through professional development and coaching. She also works with Project ELITE, or Early Literacy Innovation and Teacher Education, helping higher education institutions strengthen literacy instruction for future teachers.

Having experienced the classroom and administration herself, Anderson said she understands the pressures educators face.

“Teachers are obviously dealing with a lot,” she said. “They’re trying to manage a lot.”

Supporting them, she believes, requires more than additional requirements or words of appreciation. It means listening to educators, trusting their expertise, providing resources and time, and recognizing when existing approaches simply aren’t working.

“We have to stop putting a Band-Aid on some of the problems that we have in education,” Anderson said.

Her desire to better support educators also inspired Anderson Adventures, an initiative that grew from her work in higher education and her belief that professional development should be intentional and responsive to what teachers and administrators actually need.

But education isn’t the only way Anderson has found to reach young people.

She is also the author of two children’s books, “Pippi’s Unforgettable First Day of School” and “My Teacher Looks Like Me.”

Her interest in writing dates back to her student-teaching days, when Anderson sometimes struggled to find stories her students could connect with. She began creating her own, incorporating students’ names and experiences into them.

Years later, she finally decided those stories were worth sharing.

“When you see a kid holding your book in their hand, it does something to you,” Anderson said.

“Pippi’s Unforgettable First Day of School” explores perseverance when life doesn’t go according to plan. “My Teacher Looks Like Me,” meanwhile, focuses on belonging, representation, and helping children recognize both similarities and differences in the people around them.

For Anderson, those ideas are closely connected to her own experiences growing up in southern West Virginia.

She said West Virginia has given her a deep appreciation for community and for people looking out for one another. At the same time, she believes loving the state also means being willing to recognize where there is still room to grow.

“I still feel like I have a purpose here,” Anderson said.

Throughout her career, opportunities have existed to leave West Virginia, including opportunities that may have brought higher salaries. Anderson chose to stay.

For her, the reason comes back to education and the potential she continues to see throughout the state.

“I think sometimes we can be so focused on the challenges here in West Virginia that we overlook the incredible potential that still exists here,” Anderson said. “I think we have talented kids, talented educators, talented people. And we have people who genuinely care about their communities.”

That potential is also why Anderson isn’t ready to give up when faced with the challenges confronting education in the Mountain State.

“I know where we rank,” she said. “And I just, I’m not giving up on West Virginia.”

Her message to young West Virginians follows the same philosophy.

“I don’t think you have to leave West Virginia to do something big,” Anderson said. “There are opportunities to make an impact right here within our state.”

Looking back at a career that has taken her from the classroom to administration, higher education, professional development, and publishing, Anderson said she could not have planned each step herself. Her faith has helped her trust that every season has served a purpose, even when she couldn’t immediately see where it would lead.

“You don’t have to have everything figured out,” Anderson said. “You just have to be willing to kind of take that next step, keep learning, keep growing, and really trust in where God is leading you.”

For Anderson, that next step has continued to lead back to the same place — serving educators, creating opportunities for young West Virginians, and believing that meaningful work doesn’t require leaving home.

Sometimes, the opportunity to do something big is already right here in West Virginia.