2024 Alumni Awards Profiles
Trish Fitzgibbons Anderson ’80
Reunion: 45th
Residence: Long Lake, Minnesota
Grinnell major: English
Other degrees: Master of Arts in counseling and psychotherapy from Adler Graduate School (1994)
Profession: Marriage and family therapist
3 ways Trish embodies Grinnell College’s mission of lifetime learning and service
- Trish served as a College trustee from 2006 to 2022. She was the board’s vice chair from 2014-2017 and spent time chairing the Governance and Advancement Committees as well as the Board Development Steering Committee. She also served on the student life and enrollment, budget, and audit and assessment committees.
- Her volunteerism at Grinnell also has included serving on the Alumni Council – including a presidential term in 1990-91 – hosting regional activities, alumni event planning, and service on the Mental Health Task Force and the Wall Service Award Committee. Additionally, she has assisted the College with alumni-student connections and met with prospective students.
- Trish opened her psychotherapy practice in 1997 and has provided care for countless individuals and families over the years. She has presented at a variety of workshops and conferences and mentored hundreds of students through her teaching and clinical supervision work.
Something you probably didn’t know about Trish
A golf aficionado, Trish served on the Executive Board of the Minnesota Women’s Golf Association from 2004 to 2008. She also put her English major to good use in her service on the board of the Graywolf Press in Minneapolis, which she chaired from 2018-20.
Bonus Trish Fun Facts
- Trish was an adjunct faculty member in Family Life Education at Concordia University in St. Paul from 1999 to 2023. She also has taught in the Adler Graduate School, where she served a term as chair of the faculty.
- She has served on three Grinnell College presidential search committees, including co-chairing the search that yielded Anne Harris’ presidency.
- Among their many gifts to Grinnell, Trish and her husband, John Anderson, named two rooms in the renovated Alumni Recitation Hall (ARH) in honor of French Professor David Harrison and English Professor John Garrison in recognition of their commitment to Grinnell students.
A quote about Trish
“One theme runs through the arc of this Grinnellian’s life: altruistic service to those in need, her community, and the people and institutions that have shared her and Grinnell’s values. In the best tradition of Grinnell, she has not only embraced the hands-on hard work of doing good, but she has also scaled her impact by leading, mentoring, inspiring, and organizing others to do the same.”
– Kirk Robertson ’79
Read more 2024 Alumni Award Recipient profiles.