Brenna Thomas
Search Consultant
Brenna Thomas is a nonprofit leader with 20+ years of experience in arts management and development. Having worked at various sized institutions around New York City, she has built a broad knowledge of board development and governance; major gift cultivation and individual giving campaigns; institutional giving and high-level funding partnerships; Government relations and advocacy work; and event planning. Over her 10+ years as both the Development Director and then Director of External Affairs at HERE, a celebrated downtown institution devoted to nurturing the careers and projects of innovative multidisciplinary artists, she played a leading role in the organization as its budget, staff and programming expanded and reached new heights. She built and managed a development department that met a variety of needs, including fundraising for specific projects and coaching artists on how to foster their own funding relationships. As the Director of External Affairs, she was elevated to be part of the three-person leadership team that led the organization, advancing efforts around equity and accountability, negotiating strategic budget decisions throughout the pandemic, and furthering work on the organization’s values and strategic goals with both board and staff. She is adept at communicating both challenges and strategic processes with a variety of care-holders surrounding an organization and building a better board culture through the management of committees and more in-depth recruitment processes.
Prior to her time at HERE, she served for three years as the Associate Director of Development and Manager of Institutional and Government Relations at New York Theatre Workshop, overseeing the organization’s foundation, corporate, and government relationships; and working with her marketing colleagues to manage the young patrons program. She also spent four years as Executive Assistant to Cora Cahan, President of The New 42nd Street, where she acted as a communication channel between the President and various departments and coordinated activities for the 32-person Board. Brenna also spent several years in New York managing her own independent theatre company and producing independently.
She is the recipient of a TCG LeadershipU Cont Ed Award, which allowed her to connect with development leaders from around the country. She earned an M.A. from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she studied Theatre Management and wrote a thesis on small theatre companies and audience engagement. Brenna received her undergraduate degree in Performing Arts from Emerson College.
Deeply committed to equity and justice work, particularly in relationship to philanthropy, arts & culture, and the nonprofit sector, Brenna has completed facilitative leadership training with the Interaction Institute for Social Change, management training with The Management Center, and is an advocate for the principles of Community Centric Fundraising.
Get to Know Brenna:
What was your first paying job? Answering phones at a pizza place in the neighborhood I grew up in Chicago. This was before Seamless so it was a busy position. I know a lot about deep dish vs. thin crust.
What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn? I played the saxophone in elementary school.
How do you start your days in your Home Office? I take my kids to school and have a moment of gratitude that they are safely, healthily, and happily at school and not in my home office (thank you pandemic). Then, I start drinking my coffee.
What is a dream concert that you wish you could have attended? I would have loved to see the Indigo Girls when they were just starting out. I also wish I had seen Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge at HERE.
What is your favorite snack during the work day? A late morning pastry. An almond croissant, if I have to choose.