Angelica Crisi ’01, Sociology

The sociology courses I took at Bucknell that focused on justice and inequality planted the seeds for what I do today. I’m honored now to be committed to that work.

Angelica Crisi '01 doesn't shy away from merging the personal with the professional because she knows our identities don't simply disappear at the door.

"Everyone brings their identity and experience of the world into their work, and we all want to be in a place where we feel like we belong," says Crisi, who's part of the LGBTQ community.

The importance of diversity and equity in the spaces we navigate every day is one of the major lessons Crisi learned in her sociology courses at Bucknell. Now, she uses that education to help businesses enhance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in her role at Coston Consulting, an advisory firm based in New York City.

As a founding partner and chief operating officer of the firm, Crisi coaches Coston's C-suite clients on everything from business strategy and marketing to the systematic integration of DEI into companies' core missions.

"To accomplish that, organizations must connect sincerely to the principles of DEI — it has to be authentic for meaningful development to happen," Crisi says. "It's such a privilege working with them on a daily basis to make real, effective changes."

Those transformative efforts recently earned Crisi recognition as one of Business Equality Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40 LGBTQ Leaders" and Go Magazine's "100 LGBTQ Women We Love" — a testament to the sociology major's career-long pursuit to advocate for underrepresented groups in the workplace.

Crisi's first large-scale initiative, launched in her former role as chief marketing officer for a law firm, combatted gender disparities by pioneering professional and skill-development programming for female attorneys. Over her five-year stint in legal marketing, Crisi also cultivated the most diverse marketing team in her firm's history and supported the advancement of LGBTQ colleagues.

"Whether I'm working in strategic marketing or DEI, being part of a marginalized group allows me to be compassionate and driven to make others feel more included," she says. "It's all about leveling the playing field so that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed."