Board Member Since: 2011
Board Member; High School Teacher; 2007 FosterClub All-Star
Currently a high school English teacher in a public high school in Madison, Wisconsin. Crystal Lipek spent seven years in Wisconsin’s foster care system until being adopted by one of her middle-school teachers at age 16. From 2013-2015, she was a Teach for America corps member, teaching high-school English, reading, and writing for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Before earning her master’s degree, Crystal worked for the Tammy Baldwin for Senate campaign as a compliance analyst. Later, Crystal was a 2009 intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) where she worked for Senator Herb Kohl (WI). Also in 2009, she won a Governor’s Award for her child welfare work in Wisconsin, and was selected by Wisconsin’s Secretary of the Department of Children and Families to serve as member of the Secretary's Council for Child Welfare. Crystal is a founding member of Wisconsin's Youth Advisory Council, helping to start this youth board in 2004. Crystal is passionate about continuing her advocacy work through education and policy change. Crystal holds both an MA in Education and a BA in Secondary English Education and Political Science (University of Wisconsin – Madison).