Crystal Williams

Crystal is the proud and loving mother of seven children, all of whom attend or attended schools in Newark.

Raising her children in Newark has led Crystal to gain a deep understanding of how schools work and don’t work for children, how it takes all community members to advance our children’s future and what it means to be committed to a cause, no matter how difficult. Crystal brings to her role as a school board member a determination to ask the right questions so that students can receive the world-class education that they deserve.

Her passion is serving in her community. She invests her time, talent and tenacity with the Clearview Baptist Church, where she helped to lead painting activities for various Ministries. She has volunteered for Verizon Communication’s New Vision Pioneers. At Newark Public Schools, Crystal volunteered in the Dictionary Project (3rd-5th graders) as well as in a program called Book and a Blanket, which served children affected by domestic violence. In addition, she was involved in the “I like ME” and Dr. Seuss projects for preschoolers. She served as a team mom for the Brick City Lions Youth Football Organization, coached in La Liga Roberto Clemente and mentored at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center. Moreover, she has advocated at Trenton statehouse rallies for educational equity on behalf of children in Newark, as well as testified before the New Jersey State Board of Education on topics ranging from better public schools to barriers to certifying more teachers of color.

In addition to her volunteer work, Crystal has been employed at Verizon Communications for nearly 25 years. In her current role as a Network Technician, she helps maintain the network while providing outstanding customer service. Troubleshooting effectively means isolating the problem quickly, getting it into the hands of the right group and returning it to the customer in a timely manner.

She has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Essex County College, and she attended the French Culinary Institute. She returned to Essex County College for Nursing. Crystal did her clinicals for geriatric nursing at the New Community Extended Care Facility and East Orange General Hospital for psychiatric nursing. She has a genuine love for people and improving their quality of life.