In 1979, Gorman was the first woman appointed to Kansas City's Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.[3] She served as president of the Board from 1986 to 1991.[1]
She is a lifetime member of the Board of Directors for the Starlight Theatre (Kansas City, Missouri). She raised millions of dollars for the Theatre,[1] and in 2007 the Theatre craeted the Anita B. Gorman Court of Honor.[4]
Gorman helped found the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation,[4] a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that raises funds for conservation projects in Missouri.[5] The Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, an educational complex and office for the Missouri Department of Conservation located in Kansas City's Kauffman Legacy Park, is named for her.[6]