Born in Houston, Texas, Crissy Haslam moved with her family to Memphis, Tennessee when she was eight years old. She attended St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis and continued on to Emory University for college. Crissy graduated from Emory in 1980 with a double major in Finance and Marketing in the College of Business.

Crissy married Bill Haslam and moved to Knoxville in 1981. While working as the assistant director of admissions for UT-Knoxville, she received a Master of Science degree in Education in the program of College Student Personnel.

Crissy and Bill have 3 grown children, two of whom are married, and a new grandchild.

She has served on numerous civic and community boards, and currently serves as chair of the Tennessee Executive Residence Foundation. This Foundation is currently renovating the Tennessee Residence landscaping, garden and grounds with a focus on Tennessee native plants and agriculture.

As First Lady of Tennessee, Crissy focuses on encouraging parent engagement in education. She has been traveling the state to stress the importance of parents as first teachers, parents as education partners, and also to raise awareness for the exponential value of reading on grade level by the 3rd grade.

To complement her literacy initiative, Crissy has worked to help increase volunteers to read with, tutor and mentor students in the state through an initiative of United Ways of Tennessee, called "Raise Your Hand Tennessee." Additionally, the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, a partnership of Imagination Library, is now housed in the Office of the First Lady. Crissy and her husband together serve as co-chairs of the Tennessee Children's Cabinet, which is the only Children's Cabinet in the country with a Governor and spouse serving as co-chairs.