Anna Lemberger

As an Assistant Director for SAIS’ Annual Fund, Anna Lemberger keeps Hopkins connected to our alumni around the world. In her multi-faceted position, she raises annual gifts for SAIS, manages SAIS’s Christian Herter Society for donors with significant contributions, and builds connections between her portfolio of donors and the needs of the school. Anna is always inspired by the impact annual gifts can make in the lives of our students.  

Anna grew up in a working-class town in Wisconsin called Two Rivers. She fell in love with city living while attending UW-Milwaukee. So, when she got the opportunity to move to Washington, D.C. for an internship, lucky for Hopkins, she went for it. Anna loves living and working in D.C. and thrives among the free museums, exciting food scene, and the vibrant international community. Recently, other than being a co-chair for DAR’s annual talent conference, she is spending more time engaging with alumni directly and finding ways to deepen those relationships. This can be challenging with SAIS’ alumni spread internationally, but it’s nothing that Anna can’t handle! 

What brought you to DAR?  

My cousin works in email marketing in D.C., and she knew someone who worked at SAIS, was being promoted, and needed to find a replacement. She sent me the role, and I applied! My background in Information Science was attractive to the DAR team as they were looking for a coordinator to help manage data, databases, and reporting. Back then, coordinators had to take skills tests while applying, including one on Microsoft Access. I was thrilled I had kept my Access textbook from college.   

How did you get into the development and alumni relations field?  

Joining the SAIS and Hopkins team was my first experience working in development and higher education. I had previously worked in relationship management, which has translated well. I did some fundraising work in college for a summer. In Milwaukee and Madison, I did street canvassing for Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group or WISPIRG. (“Do you have a minute for the environment?”)   

What accomplishment are you most proud of (work and/or personal)?  

I have had three roles since starting at SAIS. Joining DAR was a little daunting because I had not worked in the field before. I am proud of myself for taking on a new challenge and continuing to grow within my team, even when I don’t feel fully prepared for the next step. People were extremely welcoming and helpful when I first started and continue to be so. I now help train new people and have become a resource for others, paying it forward for all of the help my peers provided me.  

What do you like most about your job?  

What I love most about my job is working with an incredible community of people who all want to make the world a better place ‒ from our alumni to our faculty to my colleagues. Our alumni inspire me every day with how passionate they are about their time at SAIS. Learning to waltz at an alumni ball at an embassy in D.C. was also quite fun!   

What do you like to do when you are not working (hobbies, activities, etc.)?  

When I’m not working, I enjoy trying new things! I’m the friend you call when you want to do something random or go on an adventure. Swing dancing, trapeze classes, or even just a hike! I also really enjoy traveling, especially internationally and would go on 1-2 trips a year, if it was not for the pandemic. During COVID, I tried to do more outdoor travel and visited several national parks, including Yellowstone!