Q&A: Stephanie Codd Anderson, Chief Community Officer

An architect by training, Stephanie is Higher Ground’s resident systems builder.

She examines the interconnectedness between Tucson’s various communities — schools, businesses, nonprofits, community alliances, and local governments — and how we can come together to build a more resilient social fabric that uplifts all of us.

Here’s how she’s thinking about it all.

What immediate actions do you believe Arizona should take to improve its education system and community well-being?

I have heard the answer is more discipline, and I respectfully push back. 

The stories and data suggest otherwise. We can't discipline our way out of this issue. 

Instead, we need to consider approaches grounded in data, science, proven outcomes, and successful implementations elsewhere, like the community school model. It's important to triage and stabilize the community, prioritize children, and build cultures of belonging and compassion.

We need to recognize that education doesn’t just happen in one place — or in one way for only so long. Education that uplifts the community is constant, needs effort and investments, and represents our values as a society.

This shift in approach can address Arizona's profound challenges, such as absenteeism, disengagement, and mental health crises, ultimately transforming how we view education, work, and community life.

What would you describe as the core problem facing educators in Arizona?

We as a society, more broadly, seem to have gotten away from valuing each person. We don’t take the time, especially because our attention is pulled in countless ways with the limited time we’re given.

It’s not just in Arizona — it’s everywhere. The problem is so big that it’s easy to get sick of looking at it. That can’t be where we stop.

The investment in the individual still needs to happen to allow them to build character and become responsible citizens of their community.

What motivates your work with Higher Ground?

 When I was a kid, I did not feel like people gave up on me. Even at my worst, I felt like there were people out there who let me help or work.

Kids today don’t have that aspect of safety.

A lot of people in Title I communities feel that there is nobody out there to help or support them.

Through the lens of who I am and all my experiences, I find it fascinating that Higher Ground has innately understood that building community and supporting youth and families comes from a place of love. 

And I'm not talking about easy, flowery love.

I'm talking about the love that you have for family. Sometimes, it’s messy.

Building out the Restart SMART Strategy was built through consensus, using tools that were out in the world, and then getting specific by bringing together community members to help craft this framework. Higher Ground sincerely is about elevating the kids, families, and the community, without ulterior motives, and I love it.

How do your lived experiences influence your work with Higher Ground?

 I was raised in Tucson and I've seen it grow while keeping its connected, compassionate small-town feel. My upbringing in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, being close to my Danish family, and my experiences underpin the importance of community, belonging, culture, and support systems. 

As a systems thinker and architect, understanding the “form follows function” philosophy is crucial, and my work with the Restart SMART Strategy reflects this. It allows room for the needed messiness and time to build sustainable relationships, treating education not as a system with fixed variables, but with the flexibility to adapt to its people.

Why is the Community Schools model, particularly as implemented by Higher Ground, critical for resolving broader socio-cultural issues in Arizona?

 The Restart SMART Strategy is a great solution because it considers the stakeholders and the complexities of real-life variables. It recognizes that to transform education, we need to focus on all related subsystems and understand that science evolves and generations change. 

This model pays attention to the science, the variables, the people, thereby allowing the form to follow function in creating a sustainable and effective educational system.

What surprises you about public knowledge regarding the education system?

I am genuinely surprised constantly by how much people don't know about our education system, even if they have kids. It's hard to have an informed opinion on something you're not educated about. Paying attention to news and using critical thinking skills can help bridge this gap. 

Education impacts all of us, directly or indirectly. Understanding and caring about the education system is crucial because its outcomes affect every aspect of our community and future.

How can individuals contribute to the change Higher Ground seeks in education and community engagement?

Show up.

That could mean mentally showing up, reposting a blog or anything from Higher Ground to your networks, donating, volunteering, or attending resource fairs. While solutions to wicked problems won't be uniform, every action counts towards a larger transformation. 

It's going to look different for everyone, but even small acts like reposting on social media can be a part of the solution.

We need to be open and accepting that not everyone is going to do it in a certain way. But we're weaving the fabric to produce something beautiful.