Cristal B. Gleason, Central Valley Regional Representative
Emergency Services Manager, Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus
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.