ABOUT

Crystal L. Fedeli is a social researcher and policy analyst whose work examines why systems fail—not because individuals lack motivation, but when institutional practices diverge from evidence, autonomy, and intended function. Her analysis identifies where policy design, program implementation, and institutional incentives produce predictable harm rather than stated outcomes, and supports the redesign of those systems to align operational practice with empirical evidence, autonomy-preserving frameworks, and real-world conditions.

 

Crystal holds dual graduate degrees—a Master’s in Social Research & Analysis and a Master’s in Child Advocacy & Policy with a concentration in Child Public Welfare—along with a Graduate Certificate in Data Collection & Management and a Certificate in Paralegal Studies. Her professional experience spans government, nonprofit, and private-sector settings, including work with the State of New Jersey, Office of the Public Defender, Drug Court Unit; the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families, Division of Child Protection & Permanency, Litigation Unit; as well as community-based organizations. Her work has addressed recovery contexts including substance use, trauma, domestic violence, and financial instability.

 

She is the founder of You Made a Way, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting women—pregnant and alone, leaving unsafe situations, or single moms facing financial insecurity—find their way to safety, security, and a future. She is also the founder of the Choice Recovery Movement, an evidence-aligned, autonomy-centered, and stigma-aware recovery framework.