During his tenure as editor, Anderson helped increase Parade magazine’s circulation from 21.6 million in 129 Sunday newspapers in June of 1980 to more than 37 million in 343 papers in 2001. This is the largest magazine circulation in the country.

A high school dropout, Anderson is now a national spokesman for GED, the program that enables high school dropouts to gain equivalency diplomas. He is also a director of the National Dropout Prevention Fund. "The American Dream for me is to live the promise of the Declaration of Independence," says the 56-year-old publisher. After gaining his GED, Anderson attended Mercy College in Westchester, NY and was valedictorian of his graduating class. He has an honorary doctor of law degree from the University of the Pacific and honorary doctorates from Clemson University in South Carolina, St. Ambrose’s University in Iowa and Mercy College. He is a published author of several books and the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award.

Anderson will share his inspirational literacy story to the more than 600 people registered for this three-day Professional Development conference for Basic Skills, Human Resources Development (HRD), Family Literacy, including "Even Start," and other Literacy professionals from across the state. "These are the people who help our students turn their lives around," says Dr. Randy Whitfield, NCCCS Basic Skills Director. She says the yearly conference gives instructors a chance to share best practices and learn about the latest national and state trends.

The mission of the Basic Skills program is to help adults become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency. The program also assists parents to obtain educational skills needed to become full partners in the educational development of their children and complete a secondary school education. More than 151 thousand adults were enrolled in NCCCS Basic Skills programs last year.

For 30 years, the HRD program has offered pre-employment training, counseling and assistance in job placement or further training for unemployed and underemployed adults in North Carolina.

The conference begins on Wednesday, July 18 and continues through noon, Friday, July 20 at the Adams Mark Hotel in Winston-Salem. Also appearing at the conference are North Carolina’s David Holt, a Grammy award-winning musician and storyteller, at the 5:15 PM Networking Reception on Wednesday and Jana Stanfield, a contributor to the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books, at the Thursday, July 19 Luncheon Session.

-NCCCS-

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