Anne Gumkowski Pierce
College of Engineering
Tell us about what you're doing with your life
After getting an MBA in ’89 I have been consulting. I spent the first 13 years with a large, global firm and the last 20 years I have been an independent consultant. Projects have been wide-ranging and far-flung. It’s been challenging, rewarding and great for family trips! We just returned from a biking trip through the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. Incredibly difficult terrain for a family that bikes in flat South Florida, but we did it (with only one crash on Day 1). My oldest son just graduated from CORNELL and is off to the Bay Area to work with a venture capital firm. My youngest son has autism and we’ve helped start a school (South Florida Autism Charter School), center (vocational and life skills beyond age 22), and working on a long-term residential solution for individuals on the spectrum.
What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
Absolutely favorite and most useful class was Intro to Wines! I try to use it as often as possible. My son, another engineering student, took it and said it was the only 2 hours that he never even thought about looking at his phone! Highest of compliments, it’s still a great class!
Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
I keep in touch with many of my gymnastics teammates, DGs and ChemE’s.
What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
I went to a health care project to replace a consultant who had left some not so complementary reports on the Medical Director and his staff on a copy machine. When I first met the Medical Director, I was nervous because I knew that he didn’t want any more consultants around. During our interview his first question was “Where did you go to school?” When I said Cornell, his whole demeanor changed. A smile broke out, he too was a Cornell grad. From then on, we spoke on a daily basis and worked together effectively. Go Big Red!
If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I wished I had stayed on the gymnastics team through to my senior year. Perhaps then I wouldn’t have the recurrent dream of trying to come back years later but not being able to move. The other Cornell dream/nightmare is trying to get to the final for the course I never went to. Not sure what they mean, but I still have them on occasion.
What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2024?
Reconnecting with friends and having a good time exploring campus.