Crystal Barnes is a 2026-2027 Teach Plus Arkansas & Mississippi Policy Fellow and a 10-11 grade biology and environmental science teacher at Pine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She serves as the Student Council sponsor and National Honor Society advisor. Crystal previously taught biology and environmental science while supporting school improvement and student leadership initiatives. She was named the Joe Barry Carroll Educator Award recipient (2025) and finalist (2026) and Arkansas’s Favorite High School Teacher by Rainwater, Holt & Sexton (2025). Crystal also serves as the Mentoring Program Coordinator for Target Education, Opportunities, Prevention, and Public Service (TOPPS). She earned a BS in biology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and MBA in healthcare administration from Arkansas State University. She is pursuing an MA in teaching at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and an EdS in educational leadership at Arkansas State University.
