Harvard-trained epidemiologist turned entrepreneur inspires AU graduates

Christine Crawford, ScD, wears many hats.

She is a proud Spelman grad and Harvard University alumna trained in epidemiology.

She is an entrepreneur who once owned seven local McDonald’s restaurants and employed more than 300 team members until her family sold the franchises in 2018. 

As a representative of McDonald’s, she served in several national leadership roles and as a speaker at worldwide conventions.

She currently serves as vice chair of the Augusta University Foundation and chair of the City of North Augusta Planning Commission.

Crawford is also co-host of the podcast, “Mistakes Over Failure.” The show brings leaders and fellow members of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) together for candid conversations about issues facing the global leadership community of more than 38,000 chief executives around the world. She has trained hundreds of global CEOs on diversity and inclusion.

Crawford credits her academic training and the wisdom of those she’s worked with for shaping her approach to leadership: asking better questions.

Augusta University is honored that Crawford will be the keynote speaker at the Graduate Hooding and Commencement Ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center.

For the love of science

Born in Augusta and raised in Aiken, South Carolina, Crawford always loved learning, especially when it came to science. She began her high school years at Aiken High School. She was selected to become a student in the inaugural class of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, South Carolina.

While it meant moving away from home, she didn’t hesitate. Science was in her blood. 

Her father, George Crawford, DMD, is a dentist who began his career working as an oceanographer, using listening devices to track submarines and taking underwater photography for the Department of Defense. Her mother, Dee, worked as a system analyst in the early days of computing at IBM. They moved to Augusta after George Crawford was accepted to the dental school at the Medical College of Georgia.

“I was born the Sunday before my dad started dental school at MCG,” Crawford said, laughing. “The dental school was in MCG at the time, but it is now the Dental College of Georgia.”

Finding the Golden Arches

After her father graduated from MCG, the family moved to a farm in Aiken where she and her sibling brothers, George Jr. and Marcus, were raised.

Dee Crawford would eventually open several McDonald’s locations throughout the Augusta area, including the McDonald’s that was once located in Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia. 

All the while, her daughter was excelling in her studies. 

Upon completion of her degree at Spelman College, Christine Crawford was accepted to Harvard University.

“Grad school and doctoral programs are just difficult. It is hard for a lot of reasons,” Christine Crawford said. “But I will say one of the main takeaways for me being at Harvard was that there is always someone smarter than you in the room and that’s totally OK.”

“At Harvard, you have professors who have built their whole career on that topic, and it’s known worldwide,” she added. “For example, I had one professor who would be called to testify for the United Nations. It forces you to appreciate and be very aware of the gifts of others, while at the same time forcing you to be comfortable with your gifts.”

A new career path

After graduating from Harvard, she accepted a job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer. From 2001 to 2003, she worked on several widely publicized public health emergencies.

Then something happened: friends began calling Christine Crawford for advice on running businesses. 

“It was really interesting to me that others, especially the ones who went to business school, would ask me those kinds of questions,” Christine Crawford said. “I wondered what others saw in me that I had yet to see in myself.” 

Her mother was already talking about retiring and possibly selling the restaurants. 

“I thought, ‘Well, she is talking about selling. If I’m going to ever figure this out, I probably need to hurry up and decide,’” Christine Crawford said. “Given my experiences in my fellowship at the CDC and teaching at Morehouse, I figured I could always come back to public health if things didn’t work out with the franchises.”

The rest is history. She excelled in the industry and made it her mission to support her team’s dreams for the future. 

“The employees take care of you. People work really, really hard,” Christine Crawford said. “That’s much bigger than me, my mother or any one person. People show up and do their best every day to take care of their families. And for high school students, it is their first job. Our team was amazing and that is what I miss the most.” 

Christine Crawford said she learned how to run the restaurants from the best: her mother. 

“First of all, there are not enough women who get to lead businesses. But certainly, amongst those who do within family businesses, it is not very often that it is with your mother,” Christine Crawford said.  “The opportunity to work with and learn from her in a very different way was special.” 

Since selling the franchises in 2018, serving the community in roles such as the vice chair of the Augusta University Foundation and chair of the City of North Augusta Planning Commission has been an important part of Christine’s life. 

“I think, honestly, it is your duty to show up because people showed up for you. The community has shown up for my family in so many ways,” she said. “For my dad as a dentist, if his patients didn’t show up for him, or, for us at the restaurants, if our customers or employees didn’t show up, then none of this works.”

“You owe a debt to folks who have poured into you,” she added. “Those folks helped you succeed and now it’s your turn to give back. It’s your duty.”