Agency Search 
Site Search Marcus Thomas recruits chief diversity & inclusion officer Elise James-DeCruise
CLEVELAND, OHIO (July 27, 2020) ― Marcus Thomas, a Cleveland-based independent marketing communications agency, announced today the appointment of Elise James-DeCruise to Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, only the second person to hold this position at Marcus Thomas and the first person recruited from outside the agency for the role.
Marcus Thomas is among a small number of agencies nationally to have a Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and aspires to leadership in not only diversity and inclusion, but also multicultural marketing.
James-DeCruise, who has more than 15 years’ experience in marketing, strategy, design and delivery of learning solutions, most recently held the position of vice president, global head of multicultural marketing and inclusion at MediaMath in New York. She was recognized by Chief Learning Officer (CLO) magazine for the launch of New Marketing Institute at MediaMath and was featured in Forbes as one of the top female leaders to watch in the technology space.
In her new role, James-DeCruise will scale and build on efforts at Marcus Thomas to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, and will provide critical guidance and leadership to Marcus Thomas’ multicultural marketing efforts.
James-DeCruise succeeds Joanne Kim, who held the position for two years and pioneered many of the current diversity and inclusion programs at the agency. Kim, who recently celebrated 30 years at the agency, is retiring. She is a longtime partner, formerly serving as Chief Idea Officer and Chief Creative Officer.
James-DeCruise will report to Jim Nash, Chief Executive Officer, who, with the rest of the agency’s leadership team, is firmly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce, workplace and marketplace.
The agency’s journey began with “Courageous Conversations: Beyond Diversity,” a form of racial equity training, and has continued with broad participation in affinity groups and cultural programs organized by these groups. The agency also took a strong stand in support of Black Lives Matter.
“With Elise’s knowledge and leadership, we want to demonstrate to our industry what is possible at a mid-sized Midwestern agency. We want to show how diversity and inclusion lead, not to only happier, fairer workplaces, but also more effective marketing and improved business outcomes,” Nash explained.
“Multicultural marketing is no longer a sideline thing or something for special products. Now, all marketing needs to be multicultural. Elise will be helping us to evolve our ideas and practices as we grow our leadership in this area,” Nash said.
James-DeCruise participates on many boards and advisory committees, including the Startup Institute, NYC Tech Talent Pipeline, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) – Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, American Society of Training and Development (ATD) 2019 Program Advisory Committee and the ATD Forum Advisory Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science and M.S. from Robert Morris University, where she was an NCAA Division I student-athlete and led the nation in rebounding. She lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, with her family.
Marcus Thomas LLC, with 230 professionals in its offices in Cleveland, Ohio and Buenos Aires, Argentina, is among America’s leading independent marketing communications agencies. Marcus Thomas is a recognized leader in digital strategy and technology; is Ohio’s largest media planning and buying agency; has been recognized by the Content Marketing Institute as one of the world’s leading content marketing agencies; and is regularly honored for its award-winning creative, public relations and social media work.