In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."  A poster with this Albert Camus quotation beneath a photo of purple tulips peeking through snow hangs on a wall in Crystal Ward Darby's home office.  The quotation sums up Crystal's belief that you learn from the difficult times in your life and your business.

In early 1999, after urging from her son, Crystal started her own business.  "I knew the business probably would not be successful until I was fifty years old. But I figured I was going to be fifty anyway.  Why not be fifty and self-employed?"

Crystal started Crystal Communications, after over twenty years experience in nonprofit organizations and state government.  The business offers training, writing and desktop publishing services to businesses and nonprofit organizations. As a result of her work with small businesses, Crystal was recognized as 2001 Home Based Business Advocate of the Year by the San Antonio District of the  U. S. Small Business Administration. The district encompasses 55 Texas counties.  In 2005 she was honored by the U. S. Small Business Administration again, this time as Women in Business Advocate of the Year for the District and for Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas).

Crystal is very active in her community. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Bexar County Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program Advisory Committee. She is the Vice-President of Marketing for the San Antonio Association for Organization Development. She is on the boards of several non-profit organizations including SoLive, Inc. and ArtGives. She is an adjunct faculty member at several community colleges in the San Antonio area and at the University of Phoenix online.

Crystal grew up in San Antonio, received a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas in Austin, and went to work at KENS-TV.  At the time, she was the only female in the engineering department. In 1978, she moved to New Orleans. In 1980, her son was born. 

During her time in New Orleans, she entered the Master's in Public Administration program at the University of New Orleans, taking courses at night while working full time. She then took a position with the University of New Orleans, writing grants and providing software training for Louisiana State government employees. The program changed course due to the Director's vision impairment.  As her boss lost his sight, Crystal and the department researched adaptive technology and became leaders in the field.  She helped create the University of New Orleans Training and Resource Center for the Blind, writing grants, balancing budgets, and handling public relations for the program.  She managed a summer residential program for blind and visually impaired teenagers from all over the state of Louisiana. She also completed her master's degree.

In 1988, she decided she wanted to come back to San Antonio to be closer to her father and give her son the opportunity to get to know his grandfather. An ad in the help wanted section led her to a job as a Career Development Specialist for the Texas Commission for the Blind (now the Division for Blind Services). During her seven years in this position, she was responsible for the placement of hundreds of people with visual impairment into the workforce.   She recommended adaptive equipment, worked with employers, and taught computer applications.

In 1997, Crystal left state employment to become Director of Financial Development at a local nonprofit organization.  She raised over $100,000.00 in her first full year in the position.  As a result her employer became her first client as she launched Crystal Communications.

Crystal Communications

6000 Trone Trail

San Antonio, Texas 78238

210-863-2250