Meet Our Leadership Team

Chrissy M. Thornton is the President and CEO of Associated Black Charities, a 39 year old racial equity organization headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. A native New Yorker, she is a high energy, creative, and outgoing executive with a professional attitude and diverse experience. Chrissy possesses an effective combination of technical, managerial and communication abilities along with excellent organizational and team building skills. She's been recognized for developing professional staff training programs to revitalize departments and implementing organizational change efforts into growing businesses.

Experienced in organizational diagnosis and the design and facilitation of large-scale events and staff development activities, Chrissy has a twenty-year background in successful fundraising, donor and corporate relations, digital engagement, grant writing, and the seamless execution of exceptional meetings, events, training seminars, team building sessions, education conferences, fundraisers, peer -to-peer activities, and more!

Chrissy is the author of 6 works, most known for the publication, Stop Scrambling, Start Bringing Home The Bacon: A Guide To Establishing An Effective Fundraising Plan for Your Non-Profit Organization. She is a former real estate investor and franchise owner who believes in the power of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and economic education and development. Having served as an independent consultant to non-profit organizations of all sizes across the country, Chrissy has successfully supported many with diagnosis and rebuilding, Board and committee onboarding and development, fundraising plan creation and execution, marketing and branding support, and the implementation of innovative fundraising and engagement activities.

Chrissy is passionate about community involvement and is the Immediate Past President (2016 – 2021) of the Board of Directors for ArtsCentric, a color-conscious theatre performance organization. Her volunteerism includes service as the Administrator for The Carter Legacy Singers, a community-based performance ensemble named in honor of the late Dr. Nathan M. Carter of her alma mater, Morgan State University and service to the community through her membership in Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. Chrissy is also the Immediate Past Eastern Regional Teen Advisor (2018 – 2022) and a Past President (2020 – 2022), recognized nationally for award-winning programming for children, of the Greater Baltimore County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She additionally founded My Girl Power Matters (featured in the Baltimore Sun) where she has offered a discussion and event series empowering women to overcome obstacles and live their best lives.

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Chrissy is a founding member of the Black Leadership Circle, a member of Executive Alliance, the Baltimore Women's Civic League, and serves on a number of Boards and Advisory Councils throughout Maryland, including the Greater Baltimore Committee, Color of Gastrointestinal Illness, Baltimore Center Stage, The Arc Baltimore, the Morgan State University College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board, and Baltimore Homecoming. She is also a member of the 2024 Class of Leadership Baltimore County, a Daily Record 2023 Maryland Top 100 Woman, a Baltimore Sun 2023 Top 25 Woman To Watch, a 2023 InspireHER award winner, a 2024 Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Woman of the Year, a 2024 Baltimore Business Journal PowerShift Honoree, a 2024 Baltimore City Council Trailblazing Woman, and a 2024 Md. Washington Minority Companies Association Black History Hero.

Chrissy has a master’s degree in business with a concentration in Organizational Management, and is a sought-after public speaker (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Health Equity and Access, Entrepreneurship and Business, Energized Leadership, Wealth Building, Women's Empowerment, Non-Profit Messaging (Stakeholder Engagement), and Motivation).