The topic/thesis I’d like to discuss is around the growth of data as a corporate asset, why the use of data by corporations accelerated in the 2000s, and how data is used by corporations today. 


Crystal served as a senior advisor for Cross Creek before joining the company in 2020. She is primarily focused on technology companies, though she is interested in all companies that are using technology and data to innovate across industries.

Prior to joining Cross Creek, Crystal held operational roles within the technology industry. Most recently, she was the Chief Data Strategy Officer at Eventbrite (NYSE:EB) where she oversaw all technical and operational aspects of data and analytics. She also served as the VP of Technology Strategy at MapR Technologies. During her time in industry, Crystal was named a 2020 Tech Executive Who Matters by HMG Strategy, Data Innovator of the Year in 2019 by the Women Tech Council, a Person to Watch in 2018 by Datanami, and she won the Silver Stevie Award in 2017 for Female Executive of the Year in the computer software category.

Crystal also has an established reputation as an accomplished computer science researcher. Before her roles in industry, Crystal served as a tenure-track Professor of Computer Science at Amherst College where she taught courses on big data, databases, and computational biology. She’s authored several academic publications and holds a patent for Extreme Virtual Memory.

Crystal received a PhD and Masters in computer science from Brown University and a BA in computer science from Amherst College. She was a Fulbright Scholar to Italy and received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. On weekends, Crystal enjoys golfing and skiing with her husband, and hiking with her dog in her beautiful hometown of Park City. She is an aviation enthusiast, having flown all over the United States and the Caribbean and is often planning her next fixed-wing adventure.