Crystal M. James, JD, MPH
Tuskegee University
Crystal James is an accomplished attorney, educator, leader, and motivator who has only begun to make a mark on the world. Born in Broxton, Georgia, James as a first generation college student received her Bachelor of Science degree from Clark Atlanta University, her Master of Public Health degree from Rollin’s School of Public Health at Emory University, her Juris Doctorate from University of Houston, and her license to practice law from the State of Georgia, all by the age of twenty-six.
Crystal James’ professional work experiences began as the legal assistant to the risk manager for the prestigious Methodist Health Care System in Houston, Texas, while still in law school. Upon graduation, James’ interests in public health and science once again intersected, as she served as the Program Manager for the Public Health Sciences Institute at Morehouse College. This position allowed her to not only mentor students, but also serve as the first executive intern to Dr. Kenneth Olden, the Director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Environment Health Sciences. It was during this experience that James realized that the combination of her scientific, policy, and legal training provided her an opportunity to play a significant role in the translation of scientific research into sound public health policy, through the use of community based participatory research methods and other inclusion strategies.
As her career began to expand, Crystal James opted to start her own law firm in 2002 focusing on labor and employment issues as well as domestic relations. For over twenty years, she has strived to provide quality legal services to her clients by joining forces with other aggressive advocates that are focused on quality customer service. James has also worked with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists National Office as Program Director for Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health programs. It was in this position that she began to truly couple her scientific and legal training to influence policy in the national arena. She had the opportunity to work with state-based epidemiologist as well as scientist and policy makers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to other national agencies to set the research agenda for surveillance and research on the nation’s health and plan for national epidemics such as pandemic influenza. James also assisted in the development of the language and clarification for model legislation for public health statutes that have been adopted in many States, while serving in such capacities.
Not only does Crystal James work within her legal and public health interests, she also founded Chrysalis International Consulting, LLC a consulting firm whose mission is to establish and sustain a cadre of professional consultants that provide excellent services in the fields of public health, statistical analysis, data management, program planning, educational development, and program evaluation. As President and CEO, James has over twenty-four years of public health experience and an extensive background in program planning and evaluation that she utilizes to enhance her roles as Special Assistant to the President for COVID19, Department Head and Associate Professor in the Department of Graduate Public Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University. Attorney James is a proud mother of one daughter and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.