Donna Thornton joined Rutgers University in 2006, was named vice president for alumni relations in December 2007 and in 2015 added the departments of annual giving and communications to her responsibilities. With Thornton's leadership, the university launched the newly formed Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) in 2008, its first all-inclusive alumni association. She was instrumental in reorganizing both the staff and volunteer structure to support the university's new non-dues based association.

In her capacity at Rutgers, Thornton has university-wide responsibility for engaging Rutgers alumni with the university and facilitating their support via a robust annual giving program. She is a member of the President's Administrative Council and the Rutgers University Foundation's leadership team, and is often consulted for her strategic and change management skills. She has served as a member and officer of the Board of the Council for Alumni Association Executives (CAAE), former president of the Big East Conference Alumni Professionals Organization, and a member of the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations.

Prior to joining Rutgers, Thornton served as the COO and interim president and CEO of the University of Maine Alumni Association where she also directed the annual giving and membership dues programs. She was elected to the city council in Brewer, Maine, and served the community as its mayor. In 2019, she was honored by her alma mater with the Pine Tree Emblem Service Award for service to the University of Maine Alumni Association.