Business graduate leads with values, pursuing sustainability and developing a not-for-profit charity
Throughout her career, Anisya Fritz, Ph.D., ’85, has turned challenge into opportunity
Photo credits: Alyssa Parker Photography
Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and educator Anisya Thomas Fritz, Ph.D., ’85, is no stranger to challenges. In fact, she recognizes they often come with opportunity.
A lifelong learner with an innate curiosity and openness to discovery, Fritz’s latest venture is running a winery with her husband, Lynn, called , in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. As Lynmar’s proprietor and experience manager, Fritz develops and leads the customer-facing team, expanding and evolving the solar-powered vineyard’s food and wine experiences.
"We’re always in deep conversation about balancing farming, preserving the land, and managing a complex ecosystem of well-being," Fritz says. "That’s sustainability—ensuring that employees, the land, community, and customers all do well."
An unwavering path of service
My experiences at Ãå±±ÂÖ¼écompletely changed the trajectory of my life," Fritz says. "The seeds were sown. Everything I’ve done began there.
When Fritz arrived in Maryland from India to attend Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é40 years ago, she brought with her a single red suitcase. While earning her Bachelor of Business Administration degree, she made the most of her time at Loyola, founding the first international student club, discovering her appetite for intellectual inquiry, and finding mentors among her professors and then-president Rev. Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J.
By age 25, she was a business school professor at Florida International University. But after a decade in academia, being published, and earning tenure, she welcomed a new challenge.
Fritz’s academic research led to her work with her husband as they focused on delivering international humanitarian aid. Together, the couple founded the , a not-for-profit charity that works to improve the flow of aid and goods to disaster zones around the globe.
Fritz continues to consult with global humanitarian relief organizations and delivers lectures worldwide on humanitarian logistics. She also teaches entrepreneurship in the wine industry at Sonoma State University and has presented to students in Loyola’s Sellinger School of Business and Management.
This past May, Fritz returned to her alma mater to share some gems of wisdom as the speaker at the University’s 169th Commencement. In her address, she encouraged the graduating class to be kind, to be open, and to leave the world a better place.
"Class of 2022, think of me as a voice from your future, here to reassure you and your parents that you already have everything you need to lead a fulfilling and productive life," she said in her remarks.
Coming to Ãå±±ÂÖ¼éat 17 might have been part chance, part circumstance for Fritz. Still, the mindset of contributing through service that came from her parents—a teacher and an army officer—naturally align with Loyola’s Jesuit values.
"My experiences at Ãå±±ÂÖ¼écompletely changed the trajectory of my life," Fritz says. "The seeds were sown. Everything I’ve done began there. A Ãå±±ÂÖ¼éeducation is fused with values, so it’s the best tool to navigate this diverse and changing world."