Born in Shanghai, Gwynne moved to Washington, D.C., in 1949 with her family. During her 30-year professional career, she was a development executive for Regional Plan Association, St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital Center, Asian American Federation and China Institute in America and the development director for the Committee of 100?s. Additionally, Gwynne volunteered extensively in the Asian American community through the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Renwen Society and helped to raise critical millions that enabled the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), a small, grassroots community museum in Chinatown that tells the vital story of the Chinese diaspora and more than 160-year history of the Chinese in America.