Courtney Thomas
Courtney Thomas has built her career and leadership style around the understanding that the status quo is not a strategy.
Courtney is a strategically wired visionary, complex problem solver, public speaker, and people motivator. Her entrepreneurial approach and leveraging of innovation to grow business and people have been the key ingredients to her successful run as an executive in KC for over 20 years.
She spent over eight years at Wayside Waifs, serving as the COO for almost seven years. During that time, she created national awareness for the organization, grew its annual budget, and created new revenue streams.
In October 2010, she started at Great Plains SPCA as their President and CEO, where she served for over six years and had a tremendous impact on the organization, most notably one of the first shelters to have a bistate presence. The team also earned many honors during her tenure, including the KC Biz Journal Impact award in 2015 and Nonprofit Connect Philly Awards in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
After Great Plains, Courtney was the CEO of Central Exchange from Feb 2017 to Dec 2019, and today, she serves as the CEO of Newhouse.
As we learned from Christopher Stibbs, CFRE post, Newhouse is more than a domestic violence shelter; they are a catalyst to true healing and where survivors become empowered to achieve their full potential.
With domestic violence being a multi-faceted issue, Newhouse works to meet the unique needs of survivors and reverse the impacts of trauma. They provide a comprehensive ecosystem of whole-person healing resources to confront myriad issues. Strategic collaboration and partnerships enable them to respond, shift and shatter the barriers that feed the cycle of domestic violence. During her tenure, the team has renovated its shelter and doubled its revenue.
On top of being Newhouse’s CEO, Courtney is highly active in the community. She sits on the board of Big Shifts Foundation, InnovateHER KC, First Interstate Bank, and the Global Diversity and Inclusion Council for the YMCA of Greater KC.
She is also on the Women’s Leadership Council for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and one of the founding members of the Kansas City Business Journal Leadership Trust.
Cortney was named one of KC Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Kansas City. She also received the Silver Stevie Award, earning “Female Executive of the Year” honors within her market segment, and was nominated for the ATHENA Leadership Award in 2020.
She has also recently launched her own coaching/consulting company, Thrive 360, focusing on positioning people and businesses to thrive all the way around.
Courtney is a giving and generous person who has spent her career helping others. Her selflessness, dedication, and drive are just a few factors that will lead to her continued success.
Website: newhousekc.org