Some of her accomplishments (not necessarily in chronological order):

• First executive director of Grantmakers in the Arts and co-editor of its principal periodical, the GIA Reader.
• Has led or helped to start: and/or, a Seattle artists' organization; Artech, a for-profit art handling company; Artist Trust, a nonprofit supporting Washington State artists; Arts Wire, a national online network for the arts; and Community Democracy Workshop.
• First staff person of City of Seattle's art agency and first director of its public art program.
• Director of Bumbershoot the year this Seattle arts festival received its name.
• Organizer of conversation series that take place at Town Hall.
• Namesake and first recipient of the Anne Focke Arts Leadership Award.
• First Alum in Residence at the UW School of Art + Art History + Design, a post she held during the 2016-2017 academic year.

The Anne Focke Gallery in Seattle’s City Hall acknowledges her contributions to the city, where she has lived for over 40 years.

She is also a writer and regularly contributes to a blog titled "Anne Focke Carries On."

Focke is one of the earliest recipients of an undergraduate degree in Art History from the UW.