September 24, 2006VOL. 44, NO. 15Oakland, CA

Anne Rynders named Catholic Woman of the Year

By Voice staff

Anne Dolan Rynders, executive director of FACE (Family Aid-Catholic Education) since 1995, has been named Outstanding Bay Area Catholic Woman of the Year by Catholic Charities of the East Bay. She is being honored for her success in raising millions of dollars in tuition assistance for students in Catholic elementary and high schools in the Oakland Diocese.

For the current school year (2006-2007), FACE has already awarded $1.83 million in tuition grants to 892 students. Last year, 1040 students from financially strapped families received FACE grants, which cover about 30 percent of tuition costs.

During her 10 years as FACE director, Rynders has directed fundraising efforts that have yielded more than $10 million in tuition grants.

She came to her diocesan post after serving as assistant development director at Mercy Retirement Center in Oakland. She has a MBA from UC Berkeley and a BA from UC Davis. Before leaving the workforce in the early 1980s to raise her two children, she was assistant vice president for leveraged leasing at the Bank of America in San Francisco. She also had worked for BofA as an international loan syndications officer in New York.

She and her husband are members of Oakland’s St. Theresa Parish, where she attended elementary school. She studied at Holy Names High in Oakland and San Domenico High in San Rafael. Her children, Stephanie and Christopher, also attended St. Theresa School and graduated from Bishop O’Dowd High.

Rynders, who is “passionate” about Catholic education, said her work with FACE is a “way to give back to the community by helping others” attend a Catholic school.
Rynders will receive the award at a Sept. 12 luncheon in Oakland.

She, her staff and board members are continuing to work to raise funds to assist more than 1300 qualified students who are on the FACE waiting list.

back to top

home