Meet Crystal I. Davis, a 2026 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Awards and Induction honoree.
Davis is a Senior Program Manager at Walker-Miller Energy Services, where she leads workforce development initiatives that expand equitable access to sustainable careers in the clean energy economy.
An International Psychologist by training, Davis brings a global, systems-based lens to her work, understanding the intersection of people, culture, and systems, and using that knowledge to design programs that support individual success while strengthening families and communities.
In addition to her corporate leadership, Davis is the founder of Hey GURAL (Girls Under Reconstruction Accomplishing Life)—pronounced “girl”—a nonprofit organization she launched in 2010 to support girls and women rebuilding their lives after hardship.
Although the organization concluded operations in 2019, Davis is currently in the early stages of establishing its legacy through The Reconstruction Foundation, a platform that will offer resources in housing, childcare, and personal and professional development.
In this interview, Davis shares insights on leadership, resilience, and unfinished work, offering a powerful reflection on what it means to lead with excellence, intention, and humanity.
Marshelle Sanders: How does it feel to be honored as a 2026 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence recipient?
Crystal Davis: It feels deeply affirming. At the beginning of 2025, I set my personal theme as “the year of excellence.” Receiving notice of this honor in December felt like a powerful alignment between intention and impact.
To be recognized for work that centers opportunity, access, and transformation within our communities is incredibly meaningful. This honor is a milestone, but it also feels like a responsibility to continue building pathways that help others see what’s possible for themselves.
M.S.: Your work has created measurable change in the community. What specific problem did you see that compelled you to lead, and how did you decide your approach needed to be different?
C.D.: I was blessed to discover my purpose early, though it was shaped through hardship. While in college, I was sexually assaulted, an experience that disrupted the future I had envisioned for myself. I returned home searching for clarity, knowing my story could not end there.
During that time, I had a vision of girls and women coming to me broken and burdened and leaving restored, renewed, and empowered to help others. That vision was later affirmed when my younger sister shared challenges she was seeing among her classmates, which led us to start a girls’ organization together.
That journey became what I call reconstruction: helping girls and women break barriers, rebuild their lives, and leave legacies they are proud of.
Today, through my role at Walker-Miller Energy Services, I manage the Nicor Gas Workforce Training and Employment Program (WTE).
Many participants enter under-resourced or underemployed, often facing challenges related to childcare, transportation, or family stability. We address those needs holistically, providing meals, transportation, training, and long-term employment support, so when participants leave, they have stability, confidence, and career mobility. That opportunity impacts not just individuals, but families and entire communities.
M.S.: Leadership often requires sacrifice. What is something that you gave up or had to push through that people don’t often see behind your success?
C.D.: People don’t always see how much growth leadership requires. Being called into leadership early meant learning how to grow professionally and personally at the same time.
I had to learn how to set boundaries, protect my energy, and redefine what sustainable success looks like for me. Excellence does not require overextension. Learning how to model wholeness while creating meaningful impact has been one of my greatest lessons.
M.S.: Impact is more than intention. How do you measure success in your work, and what outcomes matter most to you?
C.D.: I measure success through transformation. I care deeply about how people enter our programs and how they leave.
When someone comes in unemployed, underemployed, or uncertain and leaves with stability, confidence, and career mobility, that has a real impact on me.
M.S.: What moment in your journey most shaped the woman you are today, and why?
C.D.: One of the most defining periods of my life was completing my Ph.D., not because of the title itself, but because of everything happening at once.
While finishing my dissertation, I was also supporting my mother through her breast cancer diagnosis and navigating an identity shift as my last name changed through marriage. I had always envisioned myself as “Dr. Crystal Ballenger,” and learning to become “Dr. Crystal Davis” required releasing control and allowing myself to evolve.
That season taught me that identity is rooted in who you are at your core, not in titles or names. It also reminded me that achievement is not the end. The real question becomes: How does this work serve my family, my community, and the world?
M.S.: What work still feels unfinished to you, and how will this acknowledgement bring light to that work?
C.D.: My work is still unfolding. While workforce development remains central to my mission, I feel increasingly called to support women leaders more intentionally.
Too often, professional success masks unaddressed personal needs, especially for Black women. There is professional leadership and personal leadership, and both matter. I want to help women leaders break internal barriers the same way they have navigated external ones, so they can lead authentically without overextending themselves.
M.S.: What advice would you give to young women striving for excellence who are struggling with self-doubt or fear of failure?
C.D.: Fear and excitement create the same physical response in the body. The power lies in choosing which one you lean into.
Fear and self-doubt are part of the process. Mistakes are teachers, not failures. And it’s important to speak life to yourself and surround yourself with people who can speak life into you when you forget how remarkable you truly are.
M.S.: When you’re not working, how do you relax and recharge?
C.D.: I love to return to those spaces that recharge me naturally. As I mentioned, when I’m with my husband, I can turn my brain off; I don’t have to think. I love spending intentional time with him and my family. I get the most joy from being with my parents and my siblings. We also have fur babies.
Of course, I enjoy meditation, and I love vacations without an agenda. Put me in the sun and let me be, and the agenda will come. We just go with the flow, because I do not want an agenda. These are the spaces that allow me to enjoy stillness when I don’t have to be in a leadership role.
The Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Awards and Induction Ceremony celebrate local African American women who inspire others through visionary leadership, exceptional achievement, and meaningful community service. These honorees exemplify extraordinary stature, poise, and grace.
