Anna M. Sie, Co-Trustee, Anna and John J. Sie Foundation

Board Member, Co-Founder, Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Anna Sie

Anna M. Sie, co-founder of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, is active in serving the needs of people with Down syndrome and focuses on issues relating to children’s welfare, healthcare, education and media.

Anna, a native of Italy, immigrated to the United States in 1955 and grew up in New Jersey. It then took three years for her entire family to move to America. The immigration quota was such that only four people could come from one family at a time. Since she comes from a large family, some members stayed behind in Italy to await their turns. As a pre-teen, Anna was thrown into the difficult role of becoming the woman of the house. Her mother and two younger brothers came to America three years later. Her passion for the welfare of children was forged through her own experience in coming to America.

Anna is involved in many Italian-related endeavors in Colorado including endowing the Anna Maglione-Sie Chair in Italian Language and Culture – the first endowment in languages at the University of Denver, and establishing the Maria and Tommaso Maglione Italian Filmmaker Award at the Starz Denver International Film Festival.

In 2009, Anna and her husband, John, were named “Man and Woman of the Year” by The Villager and in 2010 they received the prestigious Community Cultural Enrichment Award from the Mizel Museum for their philanthropic work.

Anna and John moved to Colorado in 1984 when John took a position with Tele-Communications, Inc. (now Comcast and Liberty Media). Together they raised five children – Susan Sie, Dr. Debbie Sie, James Sie, Michelle Sie Whitten and Allison Sie.  She has four grandchildren who she spends most of her free time with. One of her grandchildren happens to have Down syndrome.

The Anna and John J. Sie Foundation supports the sharing of knowledge amongst peoples and cultures throughout the global community, with an emphasis on Down syndrome, education, media, business, and technology. The Foundation supports Children’s Hospital Colorado, the University of Colorado, the University of Denver (DU), DU’s SIÉ CHÉOU-KANG Center for International Security and Diplomacy, Denver School of Science and Technology, Denver Art Museum and numerous other civic, social and educational institutions.

In 2008 and 2009 respectively, the Foundation became the founding donor of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. The Crnic Institute is the first academic home for research and medical care for people with Down syndrome. Its mission is to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition.