Crystal McDonald

Director of Entrepreneurship / Propeller

Crystal McDonald serves as Propeller’s Director of Entrepreneurship, overseeing Propeller’s portfolio companies and all entrepreneurship services, such as Impact Accelerators, the Social Venture Fund, and pitch competitions.

She is the former Founder and CEO of Acrew, a pre-employment screening platform that connects employers and job seekers using brief on demand video interviews. Acrew makes it simple and fast for employers to gain a snapshot of a candidate’s personality motivation, fit and skillset in just a few minutes. With several years of experience in recruiting and as co-owner of a multi-unit franchise restaurant, Crystal founded the company out of a need to gain more information about a candidate beyond the resume or application.

Crystal graduated from Dillard University with a degree in Economics and Finance and received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She currently serves as the immediate past President of the Women’s Professional Council of Greater New Orleans, is an Executive Board Member of the Louisiana Children’s Museum, Junior Achievement Board Member, Venture For America Board Member, a member of the New Orleans Chapter, The Links, Inc, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She received the first Ada Lovelace Woman of the Year in GNO Tech award, is part of the Silicon Bayou 100 for leaders in Technology, Gambit’s 40 Under 40, Dillard University 40 Under 40, Outstanding Millennial in Technology, Biz New Orleans New and Notable, Winner of the Steve Case (co-founder of AOL) Rise of the Rest Pitch Competition, Winner of the Jim Coulter Idea Pitch Competition for New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and Winner of the Black Women Talk Tech Pitch Competition. She’s been featured on CSNC and Yahoo Finance highlighting her work in Human Resources Technology. Crystal is the mother of two children under the age of five and spends most of her spare time crafting new ways to entertain them through cooking, reading and play.