Chrystina Russell is the executive director of Southern New Hampshire University's Global Education Movement, an initiative offering Bachelor’s degrees and pathways to dignified employment for refugees and other learners that would otherwise not have access to higher education. She has lead the program’s expansion from two sites to nine across Africa and the Middle East, where 95% of students graduate in 4 years and 88% are employed within 6 months of graduation. Previously, she was the chief academic officer of Kepler, a nonprofit university program based in Rwanda. In that role, she launched the organization's no-cost-to-students US-accredited degree program in two campuses -- one in Kigali and the other in Kiziba refugee camp. She was a founding principal of Global Tech Prep, a high-performing, innovative public school in Harlem, New York.

In 2017, Russell was selected as an MIT Solver, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) marketplace for social impact innovation. She holds a bachelor's in social organization and minority communities from the University of Michigan, a master's in bilingual special education and a PhD in urban education policy.