Nneka Thomas Brings Passion and Purpose to Seattle Living

Since joining Campus Advantage, Nneka Thomas has embraced the company’s collaborative culture to lead a dynamic team across three communities. With a background in military and conventional property management, she brings years of expertise to student housing — ensuring residents feel right at home. Read on to learn more about Nneka’s journey with Campus Advantage.

Tell us a little bit about your current role and how long you’ve been with the company.

I am the General Manager of Nolan and Nora in Seattle, so I manage three sites with an amazing team. I started in April 2024, so I am celebrating being with CA for a year!

What first attracted you to work for Campus Advantage?

The opportunity to live in the Pacific Northwest. I read about the company and read some reviews, but once I did my interview with Melissa Hinton, I knew this was the place for me.

What is your professional background?

I started in property management with the Department of Defense and worked in military housing for 15 years. Afterward, I moved to conventional property management for three years before transitioning to student housing.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

Most days I’ll meet quickly with my team for 15 minutes to ensure we are all on the same page and discuss leasing and marketing goals for the day. I complete my morning walk around Nolan, check my emails, and work through any items that may have come up and need addressing — sometimes that’s meeting with vendors or tenants, or it could be working on property financial reporting.

What three words best describe you (inside or outside of work)?

Vibrant, gracious, and supportive.

How would you describe the Campus Advantage culture?

Campus Advantage provides a very supportive environment, and you can tell you’re working with a team that truly cares about your growth and success.

What is one of your favorite moments with Campus Advantage so far?

Surprisingly, my favorite part so far was turn, when all the previous year’s residents moved out and we got the whole community ready for new residents moving in to start their school year. The way our team came together was just incredible. As I was new to the team, I got a chance to really get to know each person and see their personalities while working in units. I felt like our team got to know me as well because we spent so much time rolling up our sleeves and working side by side.

Thinking about your most successful peers and teammates, what characteristics do they share?

Leadership, supportive, and encouraging.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Since living in the Pacific Northwest, I have become an outdoor person. I enjoy taking a nice car ride to the mountains, going to a national park, and exploring or walking the pier and taking in the sights. Also, I am a football fanatic, so I build my life around football during football season.

If your life had a soundtrack, name some songs that would be on it?

“Listen” by Beyonce
“Changes” by David Bowie
“I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” by Whitney Houston
“Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill