Driving Growth and Philanthropy: Meet CCS’s New Vice President for Institutional Advancement Denise Thomas

If Denise Thomas could pick up the phone and call every single College for Creative Studies alum and tell them their alma mater appreciates them and is there for them, even long after they’ve obtained their degree, she says she would.

Both alumni and donor relations are top priorities for Thomas, who was appointed Vice President for Institutional Advancement in October 2025, shortly after former Vice President Tracy Muscat retired that summer. Through her new role, Thomas is committed to developing fundraising efforts that are tied to CCS’s mission and vision, and building up a sustainable community of alumni.

The last seven years have prepared Thomas for this VP role. In 2019, she joined Institutional Advancement as the Director of Campaigns and Major Gifts. She was excited to once again work alongside Muscat, whom she had worked for in a previous role and considers a strong fundraiser with a gift for connecting and empowering people.

“At CCS, I could see where I could really help move the bar, leveraging my experience to make a difference, and I knew I would have opportunities to contribute in meaninful ways,” Thomas says on why she came to the College. “I was going to work for an organization that is incredibly important to the Detroit community, and be able to make a difference.”

As CCS grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic that began just months after Thomas started her director position, she focused her attention on raising funds to secure the resources students needed for their studies, which was done through cultivating new and existing donor relationships.

Once Thomas began managing the alumni relations program, she knew it was time to transition from previous event-based fundraising efforts to more “mission- and vision-connected fundraising.” That involved identifying the College’s key events as well as new ones that could engage alumni and donors. The Institutional Advancement office also wanted to increase communications with alumni and donors.

“It’s about finding out who loves and believes in CCS, sharing the mission and vision, and finding out what problem we could solve together,” Thomas says, adding that at one point, the team met with every CCS Board of Trustees member via Zoom for their insights. “Philanthropy is not just about raising money; it’s building community, pride and a shared responsibility for where we’re going.”

These efforts proved successful. Thomas helped the team learn how to track alumni engagement through key areas, including interaction with their communications, volunteering, donations and event attendance. The Office also participated in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) Alumni Engagement Survey in TK year(s). Thomas and the team learned CCS ranked 21%, higher than the international average for alumni engagement and higher than their peers.

Thomas also says the average open rate for their alumni e-newsletters tripled over time, going from around 13% to as high as 40%. And to continue strengthening the alumni network, Thomas and the Institutional Advancement team created a role dedicated to that work and hired alumna Lesley Mason in 2024.

As Thomas transitioned to the VP role, she recalls the experience being a seamless one, crediting her time working with Muscat and the solid team they built. She wants to continue fortifying those alumni and donor relationships that will support CCS for decades to come.

“When I think about my vision for these next couple of years, a lot of it is about continuing to build that pride and connection, that community of people that are going to have a shared responsibility for where CCS goes,” Thomas reiterates. “It will lead to philanthropy, but it’s really about building that community of our biggest fans.”