Crystal Schaffer

founder & president, nu U

Crystal Schaffer is an experienced talent management expert who specializes in leadership training, organization development, team building and executive coaching. Following a 16-year career in the corporate sector, she founded Nu U in 2007 with a mission to help organizations of all sizes learn the leadership, interpersonal, and core business skills required to achieve their goals. Today, Nu U partners with a variety of clients in America and Europe — from the U.S. Navy to entrepreneurial start-ups.

Previously, Crystal worked in Europe and the U.S. as director of Capgemini's Les Fontaines Business Learning Forum, where she pioneered innovative learning methods and programs for both the company's external clients and its internal, award-winning corporate university. During more than a decade with the Capgemini Group family of companies, she also held a variety of team management roles in the human asset, communications, and marketing arenas.

Before joining the Capgemini family of companies, Crystal counseled clients in the consumer products and pharmaceutical industries on marketing communications issues. She counts among many eclectic assignments early in her career the search for "America's Funniest Dentist" and the launch of the world's first low-calorie candy bar—noting these consumer product influences as inspiration for enduring out-of-the-box thinking.

Crystal holds a BA in English and Communication from Rutgers College. A frequent speaker on topics related to learning, entrepreneurship and women in business, she is a Master Certified i-Lead Executive Coach and has completed additional life coaching training at New York University. Dedicated to on-going education, she regularly leads research and publishes articles on learning and development issues as well. Married and the mother of three boys, her passions include baseball, modern literature, and women and children's advocacy.