Crystal is the Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer at Independence Health Group. As a seasoned executive, business leader, and lawyer, Crystal E. Ashby is an expert at turning challenges into opportunities, managing risk, and providing a “human face” of a corporation. Her business and legal experience, combined with extensive involvement in community, membership, and business organizations, makes her a unique resource in driving business results through strong marketplace relationships, legal compliance, and ethical business practices. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated the ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with a wide variety of external key stakeholders, as well as internal leaders and employees.
Crystal utilizes her advocacy skills serving as Secretary of the Board of the Holocaust Museum Houston. She chairs the University of Michigan College of Engineering Diversity, Equity & Inclusion External Advisory Council, and participates as an Alumni Work Group member for the Barger Leadership Institute in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Crystal is also a lawyer who transitioned from practicing law into key business partnerships. Until 2015, she was a leader at BP America, holding various executive roles including Senior Vice President for Strategic University Relationships, Executive Vice President for Government & Public Affairs, Managing Attorney − US Retail (with a stint in Rotterdam), and Senior Advisor to the Global Compliance & Ethics Officer based in London. During her time at BP, she was also a member of the BP America Leadership team, served on various internal BP boards, was a member of the BP America Diversity & Inclusion Council, and served as an executive sponsor to several affinity groups, and BP’s Executive Sponsor to the University of Michigan. Prior to joining BP, she practiced as a litigator in Chicago, Illinois.
Crystal is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel ELI Faculty on Crisis Management and the International Women’s Forum. She is a member of both the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association.
Crystal is a noted internal and external keynote speaker. She has been honored frequently, including being named as one of the Uptown Professional 2014 Top 100 Executives in America, one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women for 2012, and one of the National Diversity Council’s 2014 Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas.
Crystal received her Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a double major in English and Psychology, from the University of Michigan.
Crystal E. Ashby, BA LSA ’83