Crystal Lynn Keeler grew up in Nebraska, where she was inspired to make a difference by the innate kindness of the Nebraskan people. After studying biology and sociology in college, she was pointed in the direction of public health by a college teacher and found this field to be a perfect marriage of her studies and the desire to give back to the community. As a student of quantitative health policy, Crystal believes that small changes can have large impacts, a philosophy she applies to her interests in community nutrition and obesity.

At IFTF, Crystal is a research manager on the Health Horizons team, where she has helped develop the program's Foodscapes workshop and leads its new health survey. Crystal's work continues to evolve as she concentrates on how to improve health outcomes for all population groups and studies other trends in nutrition, health, and wellness.

Before joining IFTF, Crystal worked on a variety of qualitative and quantitative projects at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Center for Public Policy Studies. Crystal has also performed a content analysis for a California Mental Health Cultural Competency Project and conducted in-depth interviews for Maternal and Child Health Divisions about Medicaid tobacco cessation efforts and inter-agency collaboration.

Crystal graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln with majors in sociology and biology. She has a Master's in public health from the University of California Berkeley, where her work at the Community Nutrition program gave her a better understanding of the relationship between food and health. Outside work, Crystal unwinds with friends and takes care of her cats, Harrison, Hobbes, and Spencer.