Crystal Wilson is a dynamic relationship builder and community leader who, throughout her 24-year career, has consistently leveraged her strengths in motivating, inspiring, and aligning people around a shared vision. A native of Flint, Michigan, Crystal earned her B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and her M.B.A. from Winston-Salem State University.
Crystal’s professional career has been largely rooted in the insurance industry, where she spent 20 years developing expertise in relationship management, leadership, and organizational strategy. Throughout her career, however, her passion for nonprofit organizations and community impact has remained a constant.
Today, Crystal serves as the Chief Outreach Officer of the United Way of the Greater Triangle, a role she has held for three years. In this capacity, she is passionate about strengthening the nonprofit ecosystem so that organizations closest to the community are better connected, more capable, and better equipped to advance lasting economic mobility. She is inspired by United Way’s mission to convene, invest in, and amplify community-driven solutions so that everyone across the Triangle has the opportunity to thrive.
Beyond her professional leadership, Crystal is deeply committed to service and developing the next generation of leaders. She is an active member of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, a nationally recognized organization dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving, and civic engagement.
Crystal is currently serving her second two-year term as President of the Burlington-Graham Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. In this role, she is honored to lead a dynamic community of mothers, children, and families throughout the 2025–2027 programming year, creating opportunities that foster leadership, service, cultural awareness, and a lasting commitment to community.
Across every aspect of her work and service, Crystal is driven by a commitment to building meaningful relationships, creating opportunities for others to thrive, and bringing people together to turn collective vision into meaningful impact.
What Drew Me to UWGT?
In 2013, I started volunteering my time to local nonprofits through the United Way Campaign at Nationwide Insurance. After getting a few hours under my belt, I signed up for more. And more. This was an organization that was doing truly great work, and there were so many opportunities to give back. Yet I still wanted to do more. So I began co-chairing committees and eventually was asked to chair the campaign for two years. That coincided with donating. And then more donating, until I’d reached the Tocqueville Society level ($10,000+). My commitment to UWGT’s mission, along with decades of experience in the corporate world, led to an invitation to join their Board of Directors, where I served for two years.
What led me to shift careers to work full-time for UWGT? All of it. Every minute volunteering, every dollar donated, every campaign coordinated, and every Board meeting attended. Few things are more satisfying than dedicating one’s life to a cause that matters.
Top 5 Strengths, per the CliftonStrengths Assessment:
- Positivity — Inclined to be upbeat, with an ability to get others excited about what they are going to do
- Connectedness — Believes there are few coincidences and that almost every event has meaning
- Developer — Committed to recognizing and cultivating the potential in others
- Empathy — Skilled at sensing other people’s feelings by imagining themselves in others’ lives or situations
- Belief — Possessing certain unchanging core values, from which emerges a defined purpose for their life