Cristal Balis
Director, Marketing & Communications
Cristal Balis leads marketing and communications strategy for ACP’s full ecosystem, translating 25 years of research infrastructure, community-building, and scientific partnership into stories that resonate across audiences. Her focus is on elevating ACP’s presence in the MS research space and amplifying the voices of the community it serves.
Before joining ACP, Cristal was a founding member and senior leader of The Emancipator, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom launched through a partnership between The Boston Globe and Boston University. The outlet grew to reach more than seven million people and establish a national voice in racial equity journalism in just three years.
Her career spans advertising and brand-building at Leo Burnett, Starcom, and The Walt Disney Company, alongside mission-driven organizations including Howard Brown Health Center and the AIDS Rides. Across every sector, she has brought the same conviction: that the right story, told well, can drive meaningful change.
Cristal holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri and a Master of Education from the University of Illinois Chicago. She lives in the Boston area with her wife and twin teenagers.