MEET THE
Founder and Executive Director

Hi, I'm Crystal L. Fedeli. I'm Social Researcher & Policy Analyst, Speaker, and Consultant. I am also an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit founder and Executive Director.

 

My work is dedicated to helping ensure research informs policy and is implemented in professional practice, particularly in the area of coercive control. My mission is to help institutions better understand coercive control so they can respond better and to help individuals better understand coercive control so they can navigate the systems they need to navigate better. 

 

By bringing together research, policy analysis, lived experience, and systems thinking, I help organizations identify gaps between what research and policy recommend and what happens in practice, then develop stronger, evidence-informed institutional responses. I also work directly with individuals navigating institutions after experiencing coercive control, helping them understand the systems they are facing, clarify their objectives, and move through those systems with greater strategy and confidence. Through my 501(c)(3) nonprofit, You Made a Way, I support women experiencing coercive control when it turns financial by helping them navigate the practical, financial, and institutional challenges that can follow.

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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.