Meet Our Leadership Team

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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).