Anne Lyness

Global Controller
Boston, MA, USA

Anne began her career with a BA in architecture from Columbia University in the late 1980’s, where she did a summer internship at the New York City Housing Partnership. Back then, the design of affordable housing was not a mainstream concern, however NYC Housing Partnership was ahead of the curve in studying people's "pride of place," and how having well designed and beautiful living environments could affect a community's care for themselves and others.

After working for a couple of small architecture firms, Anne pivoted to advertising design and managed the collateral design department for two national advertising agencies in California and Florida. Mid-career, Anne went back to school for accounting and finance and pivoted to working in the non-profit sector with various human services and healthcare consulting organizations. Today, Anne has taken all of her non-profit finance knowledge and come full circle to apply her expertise back to MASS.

Never in Anne's wildest dreams did she imagine a non-profit architecture firm that could incorporate so many aspirational design elements into such areas as public memorials, landscape design, affordable/senior housing, and partnering with tribal leadership as well as city, county, and state officials to develop more inclusive and beautiful spaces. She is happy to be the Global Controller at MASS where she is focusing on the consolidated financial wellbeing and reporting of MASS and its subsidiaries, as well as learning the important work each studio, department, and lab does and how she can assist from a systems and financial viewpoint.

Anne is currently pursuing an online EMBA at Quantic School of Business and Technology, where she is focusing on Finance and Strategic Leadership and has been offered a Women in Business scholarship.