Crystal Davis is the Global Director of the Food, Land & Water (FLW) Program at World Resources Institute. In this capacity, she leads the development and execution of strategies to foster transformative land use practices, addressing climate change, safeguarding nature, and promoting equitable development opportunities around the world. Prior to her current role, Crystal was instrumental in founding Global Forest Watch in 2014, and Land & Carbon Lab in 2021.

In her role as Director of Global Forest Watch, Crystal helped establish a powerful near-real-time forest monitoring system that delivers unparalleled transparency on global forest activities. Working closely with companies, governments, and civil society organizations, GFW's data and tools have been used to advocate for more effective, rights-based conservation, sustainable forest management practices, and by everyone interested in changes happening in the world’s forests.

Based on the success of GFW, Crystal helped found Land & Carbon Lab to monitor all the world's land and its nature-based carbon. Through LCL, WRI is working to provide decision-makers with the essential information needed to address the increasing competition for the world's finite land resources.

Before her time at World Resources Institute, Crystal honed her skills in environmental consulting in Half Moon Bay, California. She has also worked on strengthening forest governance in Brazil, Indonesia, and Cameroon as part of WRI's Institutions and Governance Program.

Crystal holds a B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems Science from Stanford University. Her academic research spanned environmental governance in Uganda and conservation biology in the tropical rainforests of South America and Eastern Africa.