Accelerating Diversity & Inclusion
Join Poyner Spruill Diversity Adviser Cheslie Kryst, JD, MBA, at the 2021 AFSA Vehicle Finance Conference for her insights on diversity and inclusion, particularly in the financial-services arena, as well as the quickly evolving social justice movement in the United States. Kryst’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with auto-finance professionals.
Cheslie Kryst is a complex civil litigation attorney and is passionate about criminal justice reform, working pro bono for clients serving excessive time for low-level drug offenses.
In 2019, she was named Miss USA and placed in the top ten of ninety countries in the Miss Universe pageant. She was part of the historic group of five women whose wins marked the first time the reigning Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss World, and Miss America titleholders were all women of color.
In October 2019, Cheslie was named a correspondent for the nationally broadcast entertainment news show, Extra. She also serves on the National Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Cheslie earned both her law degree and MBA from Wake Forest University, where she competed on the trial team that won the 2017 AAJ Student Trial Advocacy National Championship—the first national trial team win in Wake Forest’s history. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina and competed on the school’s Division I track and field team. She has the 10th-best triple jump mark in school history.
January 27th, 2021

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