Meet Our Leadership Team
Associated Black Charities is able to fulfill its mission and continue its battle against the effects of structural racism because of our dedicated leadership team and inspiring staff members.
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Chrissy M. Thornton is the President and CEO of Associated Black Charities. 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 serves on a number Boards and Advisory Councils throughout Maryland. 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, NonProfit Messaging (Stakeholder Engagement), and Motivation).
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Chrissy M. Thornton
President and CEO
Board of Directors

Tawana Bhagwat
Chair, Board of Directors
Founder and CEO
Organization At Its Best
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Laurie Benner
Associate VP of Housing & Community Development
NFHA (National Fair Housing Alliance)
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Allyson Black
Chief of Staff
Baltimore Gas and Electric
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Michelle M. Brown, MBA
VP, Sr. Treasury Management Sales Officer
Fulton Bank
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Natasha M. Dartigue, Esq.
Public Defender
Maryland Office of the Public Defender
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Byron T. Deese
Chair, Development Committee
Relationship Development Manager Glass Jacobson Financial Group
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Kenneth Grant
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Chair, Finance Committee
Retired Healthcare Executive
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Jean-Claude Fresnel
Founder and CEO
Lenserf and Co.
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Cheo Hurley
President and CEO
THG Companies LLC
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Bianca Jackson, MBA
Creative Experience Officer
BrickRose Exchange
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Brandon Lockett
CEO/Chief Solutions Architect
Neutron Engineering LLC
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Cylia Lowe-Smith, Esq
Supervisory Senior Assistant Regional Counsel
Federal Government
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Thibault Manekin
Partner
Seawall Development​
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Kishka-Kamari F. McClain
Senior Counsel
MedStar Health, Inc.
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Jason Murphy
Chief Executive Officer
Murphy Enterprise, LLC
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Christopher “Chris” R. Rockey
Market Manager, Greater Maryland
Community Development Banking
PNC Bank
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Taber J. Small
Vice President
WesBanco
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Zed Smith
Secretary, Board of Directors
Chief Operating Officer
The Cordish Companies
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Granville Templeton III, Esq
Founding Partner
Templeton Law
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Tony Torain II, Esq.
1st Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Shareholder
Polsinelli