The Onyx Team

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Chrystal Morris Murphy has over 20 years of executive, nonprofit experience. She is often called upon to facilitate complex  conversations and lend counsel to nonprofits struggling to build trust between external and internal constituencies. Her expertise is grounded in helping clients design strategic planning frameworks, alliances, Communities of Practice (CoP) and strong boards. 

Chrystal most recently served as Senior Vice President at the National Park Foundation (NPF). There, she built the Foundation’s Strong Parks, Strong Communities initiative (SPSC). SPSC is a Community of Practice designed to provide capacity grants and engagement opportunities among national park philanthropic organizations. Chrystal ensured that SPSC provided capacity building grants, technical assistance, affinity groups, professional development, peer-to-peer learning, special events and travel grants to SPSC members. 

Prior to NPF, she served as VP of Engagement at America’s Promise Alliance, a nonprofit created by the late General Colin Powell. There  she served as a thought partner to state school superintendents and their corresponding governor’s office to design innovative opportunities to keep kids in schools. Chrystal also worked closely with mayors in urban and rural sites across America to create public, private partnerships to improve graduation rates through evidence-based interventions.

Over her career, Chrystal built successful alliances, communities of practice, strategies, boards, advocacy networks and awareness campaigns at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, National Breast Cancer Coalition and the Public Education Network.

Chrystal holds a degree from American University and certificates from Kellogg School of Management and Executive Education at Northwestern University, Design Thinking from Stanford University and the American Express Leadership Academy. She is also a Board Source certified consultant, serves as a member of the Western National Parks Association’s board and advisory council for Oregon Parks Forever. 

  Sara Hutchinson Ratcliffe brings three decades’ experience in advocacy, outreach, and strategy, working closely with legislators and government agencies, community partners and NGOs to foster sound public policy which meets the needs of the disenfranchised. Sara began her career on Capitol Hill and spent 25 years advocating for public health policy at the state and federal level with renowned advocacy organizations including the American Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. 

Sara turned her focus from general, public health advocacy to her passion for the rights and access to care for women. She spent 11 years in positions of increasing responsibility at Catholics for Choice (CFC) working hand-in-glove with state legislators and partners in more than 35 states. She assumed the role of interim president, leading the international NGO through a leadership transition to maintain CFC’s position as the foremost organization working at the intersection of faith, reproductive health and rights as well as religious liberty. After leaving CFC, she began consulting with Onyx Strategies Group bringing her expertise to projects that protect the public health for the marginalized.  

Beyond her successful advocacy career, Sara ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2021 and 2023. Though she did not win those races, she successfully garnered more than 30 percent more votes than any Democrat in her district for two decades. A campaign run in 2025 is still being decided.  

 Robert Murphy is a 25-year veteran of public education, youth development, program management, partnerships, federal grant allocation, compliance, strategy and policy development at the local and state level. 

Murphy led Maryland’s School Discipline, Dropout Prevention and Alternative Education Programs at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). He led a committee of 50 stakeholders and revised the Maryland Public Schools' Code of Discipline, which positively impacted 1400 Maryland Public Schools. Robert also led a workgroup to revise alternative education standards for MSDE.  Under his leadership, Maryland experienced a 60% drop in school suspensions, 30% reduction in dropouts, and 12% increase in graduation rates for African American males. Mr. Murphy's most recent experience was leading the Lake Forest School District’s vulnerable populations programs. In this role, he supervised fourteen programs including school choice, homelessness, school safety and enrollment.

In 2021, Mr. Murphy released his memoir, “Ni@$as Ain’t Astronauts, Love and Trauma in American Family”. A book that Kirkus Reviews called a “A powerful, sometimes poetic account of Black life in America.” Mr. Murphy, also founded Comprehensive Discipline Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in public education collaborations and other special interventions that improve the opportunities, operations, and outcomes of students, teachers, staff, and families.

Robert holds a degree from Morgan State University and a Master of Education at Goucher College with a focus on school improvement and leadership.