2015 RECIPIENT—ANNE BLAIR

Former Bainbridge Island Mayor and active community volunteer Anne Blair was selected as the 2015–2016 recipient of the Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Community Service Award.

Anne has a strong record of leadership within the community and is recognized as someone who can get the job done. She is known to work collaboratively with others to identify community needs and create focused efforts to address them. Anne is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she majored in history and went on to complete graduate courses. She began her professional life as a teacher and has more than 30 years of experience as a professional nonprofit manager and executive director.

A founding board member of Leadership Kitsap and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, her background includes volunteer leadership on local, regional and national boards, and commissions as diverse as Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Olympic College, National Faculty of Arts and Sciences, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Community Salmon Recovery Technical Review, Kitsap Community Foundation, Bainbridge Library, and Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council. She is the recipient of the Mary Maxwell Gates Community Leadership Award and was elected to the Olympic College Hall of Fame in 1998.

Anne was introduced to the Junior League early in life by her mother and aunt, who were both members of the Junior League of Denver. During her time as an Active, Anne was the chair of the Junior League of Seattle’s diversity task force, where she set up the first mutual project with LINKS, a partnership that continues to this day. She was also the Education Director, Long Range Planning Vice President, and a board member. She was President of JLS from 1984–1985 and was an Association of Junior Leagues International Area VI Council Member, as well as Director of Education and Training. Anne has graciously participated in Women with Impact numerous times to share her wisdom with active members.

To quote Anne: “All of my volunteer service ranging from the local PTSO and library to county, state, and national level boards of directors, as well as my career as a volunteer management professional and nonprofit executive director, stemmed from the professional-level training and community experiences I received in the Junior League. Thinking about the role of the Junior League in my life, I realize that the importance of effective community volunteering has been a fundamental value for me since childhood. It remains so today.”