WHO WE ARE
A FEATURE HIGHLIGHTING THE ‘OUTSIDE’ LIVES OF THE MANY VARIED AND INTERESTING MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION.

—by Lois Chazen

Anne Bradley is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma and was born into a family with long ties to the Unitarian Church. When she first arrived in New York to continue her career in banking, she looked for a Unitarian Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Then, after finding All Souls, she began looking for an apartment in the Church neighborhood. Chemical Bank had transferred her from their Philadelphia office, where she had worked for nine years, to New York. Subsequently, Chemical Bank merged with Chase Manhattan and is now known as J.P. Morgan Chase. Now, Anne is an executive in the private Equity Practice Division of Ernst
	Anne Bradley
& Young, one of the “Big Four” accounting and financial advisory service firms based in the United States with offices worldwide. After working two years at Chase in New York, she was recruited by Ernst & Young, where she has worked for twelve years. She began her career in banking at a bank in St. Louis, Missouri immediately after graduation from Drury College, also in Missouri. Recently, Anne’s charitable work has reached such large proportions that, for the last year and a half, she has opted for Ernst & Young’s Flexible Work Arrangement. She compresses her workweek into three days, leaving two days to pursue her charitable interests. “With all the electronic tools available today, I can be in touch with the office and arrange conference calls to any number of people anyplace in the world, 24 hours a day. The fax machine and e-mail make it possible to work at home or while traveling. Actually, I am on call all the time.”

A confessed news junkie, Anne reads several newspapers every day online and in print. She is a devoted reader of biographies especially of American Presidents, as well as other historical topics. She recommends a recently published biography of Teddy Roosevelt entitled Theodore Rex. Travel is another pursuit Anne enjoys and she does it as often as her work schedule permits. Among her favorite sojourns were visits to the Amazon, the Galápagos Islands, Cambodia and Vietnam. In the Fall, she will go to China. “I prefer the exotic places,” she said. Some of these trips evolved from winning bids on trips offered at the Heart & Soul Auction. However, Anne researches every destination and makes her own travel arrangements. “I learn so much in doing research on my trips,” she added. “It makes each experience more meaningful and enjoyable.”

During the fifteen years in which Anne has been a member of All Souls, she has been deeply involved in Church activities, usually in a leadership role. She was President of the Board of Trustees for the traditional one year of a three-year term. She said, “The achievement of which I am most proud at that time was initiating a capital campaign and participating in the planning and implementation of access to the Church for people with disabilities. I was struck by the strong support of the Board. What was clearly uppermost in the mind of each member was what was best for the Church.”

Anne has also served as Treasurer of the Congregation, Chair of the Budget Committee, and as a member of the Investment Committee. In her initial five years at All Souls, Anne taught the 4-year-olds in our Sunday school.

Anne has served twice as Chair of the Heart & Soul Auction, and is a Board Member of the Heart & Soul Foundation as well as the Foundation’s Treasurer. The Foundation provides funding and a hands-on partnership with the New York community organizations it supports. The annual Heart & Soul Auction is the Foundation’s sole funding source.

The Foundation now has a permanent home in rented office space at the Lighthouse headquarters on East 59th Street. All the records, brochures and donations for the auction can now be safely housed in a midtown location with security and reception services. It also provides workspace for a part-time, very capable coordinator, Allie Shaffer, who is a full-time graduate student.

In March, Anne was named Chair of the All Souls Annual Fund, which in the recent past was conducted by All Souls staff members. With the assistance of a committee she is in the process of assembling, she will have the personnel needed to implement a highly personalized approach to this effort. “To put everything into place will probably take five years,” she said.

 

Anne on vacation in Africa in one of the “exotic places” she prefers.

“The Church is always available to provide support to everyone and is the cornerstone of a community which reinforces values and reaches out to help others. The spiritual aspect and open-minded philosophy of the Church is at the core of all activity. In return, All Souls needs your financial support to carry out its work,” Anne said. She noted that this year’s Annual Fund goal is $1.2 million.

Among the ideas Anne hopes to realize for the Campaign is a daily letter on the Church website in October, which is designated Annual Giving Month. Letters have already gone out to All Souls members to sign an annual pledge to fulfill on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. Another innovation she has already instituted is “Giving Clusters.” These are subgroups of the Church membership organized by interest, age, or other criteria. Some examples are the Young Adults, Suburban Groups and the “Bellows Circle.” The Bellows Circle comprises the largest donors to the Church, each giving annual contributions of $10,000 and above. (There are several congregants who give $50,000 or more each year.) The Women’s Alliance, newcomers to the Church, and the Peace Task Force are some of many interest clusters associated with All Souls. Special events will be individualized for each one.

In talking with Anne, one readily understands why she is offered so many leadership roles. Outgoing and personable, she studies in depth whatever assignment she undertakes. While discussing her newly conferred responsibility as Chair of the Annual Fund, she alluded repeatedly to her research. This attention to the past informs and enriches her own ideas. Coupled with her easily apparent organizational skills and the ability to delegate, she has the critical skills to be an effective executive.

 

Fortunate in having a number of relatives in New York, Anne felt comfortable here from the moment she arrived. She has a number of cousins and a nephew in New York. Her brother James Bradley works at the United Nations. He is Head of Operations for the Assistant Secretary General. Her cousin is a professor at Hunter College. Her youngest nephew is a freshman aNew York University. A recently deceased aunt, whom she discusses with great affection, was a collector of American paintings. The collection included major figures in American art including Winslow Homer and Thomas Eakins.

Anne (at left) at work on the Auction with Bill Bechman and Joanna

Anne is a dedicated fan of tennis and attends many matches of the U.S. Open at Forest Hills. She has also attended Wimbledon and hopes to one day attend the French Open and the Australian Open. Although she claims not to be athletic, physical health is important to her. She trains weekly with an Olympic medalist gymnast. She is a member of professional organizations including the Financial Analysts Association and is a board member of the Annie Eaton Foundation.

Anne’s independent spirit and good cheer and her commitment to the well-being of the community is an example for us all.

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