[1] A specialist on Middle Eastern and North African politics, Anderson served as the President of AUC from 2011 to 2016 and as Provost from 2008 to 2010.

[2] Lisa Anderson had an open door policy for students to directly discuss issues with her regarding all aspects of the university and the surrounding political turmoil.

Anderson is the former president of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and former chair of the board of the Social Science Research Council.

[3][4] She is member emerita of the board of Human Rights Watch, where she served as co-chair of Human Rights Watch/Middle East, co-chair of the International Advisory Board of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and member of the International Advisory Council of the World Congress for Middle East Studies.

[1] Her academic research focuses on state formation, regime change, and economic and political development in the Middle East.