Cristal B. Gleason is the Emergency Services Manager at Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus. Haven serves all survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking regardless of gender identity, immigration status, or sexual orientation. Haven is a catalyst for individual empowerment and societal change: advocating for those impacted by domestic and sexual abuse or exploitation and working to end gender-based violence. Cristal has been with the agency since January 2014. Cristal’s role as Emergency Services Manager includes overseeing the grants and expenditures of Haven’s Emergency Shelter, Human Trafficking program, and the collaborations with Stanislaus Family Justice Center and Behavior Health Services with Stanislaus Community Services Agency.  During her time at Haven, among her primary duties, Cristal has been involved in various projects and committees to bring awareness and improve services provided to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Cristal’s passion for this work comes from her need to break the cycle. Cristal grew up as a 1.5 generation immigrant in an unhealthy household. Mental health, sobriety, and healthy relationships were not modeled or talked about. Yet everything changed when Cristal’s mother seized an opportunity and moved across the country with Cristal and her two sisters. At that moment Cristal made the conscientious decision to break the cycle and do everything she could to better herself. It was at CSU, Chico where she discovered her feminist and activist side through clubs, student government, and her sorority. She found her calling in the domestic violence field soon after. She applied to the same agency that helped her mother many years before. Haven helped Cristal when she was a teenager and Cristal wants to be able to help other families.