Meet Crystal

Hi, I'm Crystal L. Fedeli. 

 

I'm a social researcher and policy analyst, as well as an award-winning nonprofit founder and executive director, dedicated to advancing an evidence-based approach to policy and professional practice so institutions can better understand and respond to coercive control.

I partner with organizations to strengthen institutional responses through research and policy analysis, speaking, professional training, and organizational consulting. I also help individuals better understand and navigate the systems that affect their lives. I am also the Founder and Executive Director of You Made a Way, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting women leaving coercive control when it turns financial.

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Before beginning my research, speaking, and consulting practice and founding my nonprofit, I worked for the State of New Jersey, Office of the Public Defender, in the Drug Court Unit where I managed drug court expungements for the entire state. Prior to that, I worked for the State of New Jersey, Department of Children and Families, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, in the Litigation Unit. My background also includes work with community-based nonprofit organizations supporting individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault, childhood trauma, substance use disorder, and developmental disabilities, giving me a deep understanding of how complex situations are interpreted within institutional systems and where critical gaps often exist.

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I hold dual graduate degrees, one in Social Research & Analysis and the other in Child Advocacy & Policy with a Child Public Welfare Concentration. I also hold a Paralegal Certificate and a Graduate Certificate in Data Collection & Management. This combination of research, policy, and legal-adjacent training informs my work and allows me to approach complex situations with both analytical rigor and real-world context.

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​And outside of all of that, I’m a busy single mom of two (plus two fur kids!) navigating the beautiful chaos of motherhood, work, and everyday life.