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Annie Maxfield
Director, Graduate Career & Professional Development at UT Austin
Professional Background
Annie Maxfield is an accomplished professional dedicated to transforming academic culture with a focus on integrating PhD graduates into the evolving job market. With a rich tapestry of experience in education, program development, and strategic partnerships, she passionately champions the cause of empowering students and preparing them for a successful future. Annie's role as President Elect at the Graduate Career Consortium underscores her leadership capabilities within the landscape of graduate education and career development.
Annie's career spans various prestigious institutions, where she has honed her skills in graduate career and professional development. Her tenure as the Director for Graduate Career & Professional Development at The University of Texas at Austin was marked by innovative programming and support structures designed to enhance the career trajectories of graduate students. Not only did she focus on individual career counseling, but she also emphasized creating community-driven initiatives to foster professional growth.
In her previous role at UCLA, where she was the Interim Director of the Graduate Student Resource Center, Annie played a pivotal role in establishing resources and programs that catered to the diverse needs of graduate students. Her experience at the University of Southern California as an instructor, along with her adjunct faculty positions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and within the University of Utah system, attests to her strong commitment to higher education and an unwavering dedication to student success.
Annie also served a significant role in ImaginePhD, a dedicated platform designed to assist humanities and social sciences graduates in exploring and planning their career paths. As a Design & Development Lead and Chair of the User Experience Sub-Committee, she was instrumental in shaping the framework that countless students have utilized for effective career exploration.
Her extensive career background includes time as Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Graduate Student Professional Development at Duke University, where she enriched the relationship between academic institutions and potential employers, facilitating a smoother transition for students from academia to the workforce. Furthermore, Annie’s early career in community outreach and public relations has equipped her with a holistic understanding of how to communicate effectively and build lasting partnerships across various sectors.
Education and Achievements
Annie Maxfield earned multiple degrees from the University of Utah, showcasing her profound commitment to both communication and philosophy. She holds a Master of Science in Communication and Media Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Communication, specializing in Argumentation and Decision Making, alongside a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy. This diverse educational background allows her to approach complex problems with a multifaceted perspective, combining critical thinking with effective communication strategies.
Throughout her academic journey, Annie engaged deeply in subjects that explore the intersection of narrative, decision-making, and the ethics of communication. Her studies not only fostered her intellectual growth but also paved the way for her future endeavors in academic and professional development.
Annie's commitment to academic excellence and her contributions to graduate education have garnered recognition within the field, marking her as a thought leader who is not only dedicated to addressing current issues in academia but also invested in the future of graduate-level education.
Achievements
Annie Maxfield has successfully established a reputation for fostering collaboration between various stakeholders in the educational landscape, from students to academic institutions and industry partners. Her visionary mindset is reflected in her ability to build systems and partnerships that enhance the educational experience while directly addressing the career needs of graduate students.
Her leadership in the Graduate Career Consortium is indicative of her strong dedication to advancing career services and support in the realm of graduate education. As a thought leader, she actively participates in various discussions and workshops that highlight innovative strategies for nurturing PhD graduates' ability to navigate an increasingly complex job market.
In the context of her role with ImaginePhD, Annie's innovative contributions helped craft a user-friendly experience that has empowered many students to set realistic career goals while exploring the vast array of opportunities available to them after graduation.
Annie’s passion for system-building and her deep understanding of the challenges faced by PhD graduates positions her as an indispensable figure in the ongoing evolution of graduate career services. Her ability to address the pressing needs of the modern workforce ensures that she remains a forward-thinking leader for years to come.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
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Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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