Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns

The moment you meet Anne Michele Lyons Kuhns, Class of 1987, you instantly recognize that she is a true servant leader. With her “can do, will do” attitude, attention to detail, and incredible love of the school, she has served Foxcroft with distinction since she became a part of our community as a freshman in 1983. 

From the very start, Anne Michele contributed in important ways to the community of Foxcroft. The Tally Ho! lists her many activities and honors: field hockey, the Archaeology Club, CAPS, French Club, Southern Club, and the Cum Laude Society. She was a Class Officer, the Fox Manager, and a “Golden Oldie.” She clearly loved horses, riding, and the equestrian culture. She won the Math Award and earned High Honors for her senior year. Her superlative within her class was “Studies the most,” a testament to her innate ability to learn, understand, and master whatever was (and is) in front of her.

After Foxcroft, she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and Math in 1991. In her professional career, she started on the banking side of municipal fixed income and, within several years, moved into trading municipal derivatives. Anne Michele retired in 2005 after serving as Managing Director and Principal at Bear, Stearns, & Co. Inc.

In addition to her profession, Kuhns has served in many volunteer and community positions, including as a Trustee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, Board Member of the Rehoboth Beach chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, Board Member and Treasurer, Rehoboth Beach Historical Society for 12 years; Co-Chair of the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society and Museum annual fundraiser for twelve years; and President of her neighborhood Homeowners’ Association. She has volunteered at the Rehoboth Beach Chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware as a homework helper and currently serves at the Rehoboth Community Resource Center, a day center for homeless individuals, helping with the food pantry and as administrative support. 

Her service to Foxcroft continues to go above and beyond and demonstrates her devotion and dedication to the success of the School. 

Kuhns served ten years on the Board of Trustees, sat on the Investment Committee and Finance Committee, and chaired the Investment Committee from 2012-2014. Her expertise on Wall Street helped Foxcroft grow the endowment and exercise fiscal responsibility to position the School in a place of long-term strength. She was elected Vice Chair of the Board in 2014 and was a member of the Search Committee that appointed Cathy McGehee as Foxcroft’s 10th Head of School. She went on to chair McGehee’s Transition Committee, laying the foundation for Foxcroft’s Second Century by setting goals and priorities for new School leadership. 

From 2016-2019, Kuhns served as Chair of the Board of Trustees. During this time, she was key in drafting a history of Foxcroft’s endowment to help educate the community, revising the investment policy, and overseeing the Ruth T. Bedford ’32 $40 million bequest. She and other Board officers were central in the Board’s decision to put the majority of those funds in the endowment, largely unrestricted, which has transformed Foxcroft and is the reason we had a strong foundation to weather the economic downturn due to the global pandemic. In addition, during her tenure, Foxcroft completed the Centennial Campaign, which raised funds for the Residential Initiative and the endowment two years early and almost $5 million over the goal. During this time, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of two synthetic turf fields and the construction of two new faculty houses, greatly upgrading our campus. Her steady leadership and integrity also guided the School during a historic misconduct investigation, helped strengthen current policies and practices, and led to healing the alumnae community.

When the Board needed her, she agreed to extend her term as Chairperson one additional year in 2019-20 to provide stability during a time of trustee leadership transition. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that several years after she completed her Board service, Kuhns answered Foxcroft’s call and agreed to Co-Chair the $65 million Building for Our Future campaign, raising funds to construct a new STEAM Wing, expand our visual and performing arts spaces with a new performing arts center, and renovate Music Building and our beloved Schoolhouse to serve current and future Foxcroft girls. 

In addition to her formal leadership roles at the School, Anne Michele makes a point to attend as many Foxcroft events as possible, including Reunion weekends, regional events, Centennial, and on-campus celebrations, and she models stewardship by supporting The Foxcroft Circle and capital campaigns at a leadership level. Former Board of Trustees Chair Reggie Groves ’76 said of Kuhns: “Elegant in thought as well as style, Anne Michele embodies what we want in ourselves and our students. She is a genuinely kind person and a treasure for the School.”

On her senior portrait page, Anne Michele listed a quote: “Just as much as you need a sense of reality / To be truly happy you need dreams, even impossible ones.” It is safe to say that Anne Michele has helped Foxcroft realize our dreams, and in looking ahead to the Building for Our Future campaign efforts, we can all have zero doubt that she will continue to do so.

For her incredible love and loyalty to the School, her constant volunteer spirit, and her dedicated service over the years, the Board of Trustees and Head of School Cathy McGehee honor Anne Michele Kuhns ’87 with Foxcroft’s highest award, the Anne Kane McGuire ’52 Distinguished Service Award.

See the full video presentation here.