ALS United Mid-Atlantic is honored to welcome Crystal Goodwyn to its board of directors. Crystal has extensive professional experience in the biomedical research industry and a deep personal understanding of ALS as the sister of Kevin Glenn, who lived with ALS for over 22 years.
Kevin Glenn was diagnosed with ALS in 1999. He was 36 years old at the time and with an age difference of just four years, Kevin and Crystal were always close. Crystal considered Kevin to be her best friend and confidant, someone she could go to with any question or challenge.
Nothing was more challenging than ALS. Kevin’s tenacity and positive attitude inspired Crystal and everyone in their extended network of family and friends, which included the friends at the Philadelphia Phillies who always loved to see Kevin during games and events at Citizens Bank Park.
Crystal recalls that Kevin’s personal outlook on life and his feelings on what problems deserved attention helped his health. Even as ALS took his physical body, Kevin continued to exercise his brain through his website, his art, and his music. He was always a great listener and advisor, encouraging others to “let it go” when they were worried. One of his favorite phrases was “then comes tomorrow,” which continues to inspire Crystal in her work and as a mother.
During most of Kevin’s battle with ALS, Crystal lived in Richmond, VA, but she regularly kept in touch with Kevin and would return to Philadelphia to spend time with him. Crystal returned to Philadelphia for good when Kevin’s health took a turn for the worse in early 2021. He passed away in May of that year and Crystal was home that Mother’s Day weekend. Now, as a mother herself, Crystal passes down the lessons from Kevin to her daughter.
Crystal brings unique skills and experience from her many years in healthcare. She began her career working in radiology in a hospital. After working on MRI’s, she moved to pharmaceuticals and was a hospital sales representative. She went on to work for Merck and then GSK, where she focused on analytics, marketing, and leadership training.
Crystal continued to gain valuable experience working in consulting and project management at Booz Allen and then went to work at McKesson, where she served as Chief of Staff to the President of Sales and focused on issues related to long-term care and home care. During that time, Crystal used her personal knowledge of ALS from Kevin’s story to address these critical care challenges.
Today, Crystal works at IQVIA as the Director of Sales Operations. She leans on her decades of knowledge to handle client satisfaction and financial planning.
“My experience with Kevin takes out the fear to reach out, which means that I can better connect with patients and caregivers,” says Crystal. “I can hold a hand, give a hug, and not be afraid of those personal interactions. When I meet with ALS families, I can understand that we are all one family.”
ALS United Mid-Atlantic proudly welcomes Crystal to the board to pave a positive future for ALS care, research, and advocacy. Crystal looks forward to adding a diverse voice to help identify unmet needs in underserved communities throughout the Philadelphia region. Since joining the board, Crystal has been active in multiple patient events, fundraising efforts, and planning discussions to advance the ALS mission.
Thank you, Crystal, for bringing your personal and professional experience to ALS United Mid-Atlantic.