Anne D. Gioia

Anne D. Gioia has served her community with courage, compassion and a commitment to improve the quality of life for everyone in her community. These are the hallmarks of her decades of service to Western New York.

Many healthcare and educational institutions have benefitted from Ms. Gioia’s involvement, including the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the John Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, Canisius High School, Canisius College and Nardin Academy.

Nowhere, however, has Ms. Gioia had a greater presence than at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. With a passion born out of the great tragedy of the loss of her and husband Richard’s five-year-old daughter, Katherine, to a rare form of pediatric cancer, Ms. Gioia has had an incredibly powerful impact on the Center’s mission to understand, prevent and cure cancer.

Two years after Katherine’s death, Anne and her sister-in-law became the driving forces behind the establishment of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. Benefitting greatly from her leadership, the Foundation has raised nearly $400 million since its inception to support lifesaving research, treatment and prevention programs, along with the psychological needs of patients and families.

So deep was her desire to serve and comfort families whose children were afflicted with cancer, that Ms. Gioia co-authored a children’s book titled, “Bobo’s Just Fine,” an inspiring and joyful story of a little girl whose bout with cancer and journey through treatment is aided by her stuffed toy rabbit.

One of Western New York’s most prominent philanthropists and civic leaders, Ms. Gioia’s efforts and dedication have been recognized with St. Bonaventure University’s highest honor, the Gaudet Award, and the Brotherhood and Sisterhood Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice. She was honored with the naming of the Katherine, Anne and Donna Gioia Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center at Roswell Park, and was a co-recipient of the Society of Surgical Oncology’s James Ewing Layman Award.

Ms. Gioia is also a member of the Western New York Women’s Hall of Fame and the Canisius College DiGamma Honor Society.

In addition to the late Katherine, Anne and Richard have two sons, Richard and Gregory, and one grandson.