Spotlight on Our Board | Montgomery College, Maryland

Anne Gunsteens

When foundation board member Anne Gunsteens decides a cause is close to her heart, she jumps in with both feet. As the former executive director of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Anne is known as someone who truly cares about her work. She treats everyone with kindness and respect, yet is always honest in her feedback. During her 20-year tenure, she oversaw tremendous growth at the Marriott Foundation, both in the size of the endowment and in the complexity and sophistication of the grantmaking. She spearheaded more than $35 million in annual grants focused on civic and human services, fostering educational achievement, expanding opportunities for youth and adults, developing the next generation of hospitality leaders, and leading innovation in health and medicine.

Her dedication to helping those in need took a global turn when she led the development and sustainment of the China Hospitality Education Initiative, an innovative program impacting thousands of students and professors across mainland China. Closer to home, she developed and managed 9/11 and Katrina Disaster Relief Funds and was a founding member of the Marriott Disaster Relief Fund Committee. Upon her departure, the Marriott family honored her and her longtime support of MC by establishing an endowed scholarship fund in her name that will benefit students in perpetuity.

While Anne’s list of volunteer commitments is extensive (she currently serves as a member of the DC State Early Childhood Development Coordinating Council, the Leadership Council for Raise DC, and the Montgomery County advisory board for the Greater Washington Community Foundation), we are most grateful that students and board members alike will benefit from her latest role as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Montgomery College Foundation.

Let’s Get Personal! What’s...

Your favorite local sports team? Being from Chicago, I am a die-hard Bears and Cubs fan, but I do love going to Nats games.
Your favorite place to eat lunch around the College? A&J Restaurant—most like the food in China—yum!
The last good movie you saw? Lion
Your favorite piece of advice to give? The same advice my father gave me: “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.”
The first car you remember driving? Pontiac Lemans Sport Coupe—I loved that car.
Your favorite sport to play (or favorite pastime)? Anything in or near water and with my dog.
The junk food you find most irresistible? Pizza
The bet concert you've attended? Jethro Tull
An adjective your friends would use to describe you? Generous, kind, trustworthy
Your biggest global wish? Peace, happiness, and protect the earth.

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