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Brandon Muramatsu
Professional Background
Brandon Muramatsu is a strategic thinker and established leader at the forefront of learning, technology innovation, and scalable solutions within education. With over 15 years of experience in managing multimillion-dollar portfolios of education technology and curriculum development projects across a variety of educational environments—ranging from K-12 to community colleges and higher education—Brandon has proven his capability to bridge the gap between educational needs and technological advancements. His commitment to enhancing learning experiences is complemented by a remarkable track record, having successfully conceived, designed, and implemented learning technology and curriculum development programs with funding exceeding $26 million.
Brandon’s work is characterized by a strong dedication to Open Education and Open Educational Resources (OER), a cause he has passionately advocated for over 15 years. At the intersection of these domains, Brandon is focused on leveraging online and digital learning to transform teaching methodologies, particularly emphasizing open education to make learning more accessible and affordable. With more than 25 years of hands-on experience, he has extended his impact in this sphere both nationally and internationally. His endeavors encompass STEM education initiatives aimed at enhancing educational outcomes across all levels of stakeholders.
Currently, Brandon holds a pivotal position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he serves as the Associate Director for Special Projects within MIT Open Learning. In this role, he leads the design and implementation of both local and national strategic education initiatives that aim to innovate and scale educational practices. His expertise extends to managing a diverse portfolio of education technology and curriculum development projects, which include university-wide initiatives and transformative programs aimed at building and modernizing high schools. He has played a crucial role in creating web applications and software tools designed to empower educators and learners alike by developing, authoring, using, reusing, and sharing digital learning resources effectively.
In addition to his managerial responsibilities, Brandon actively collaborates with faculty members to implement innovative learning technologies in their courses, ensuring that students benefit from the latest educational advancements. His commitment to community engagement in education is evident through his organization of conferences and symposia aimed at bringing educators together to explore topics surrounding open education, opencourseware, and cutting-edge learning technologies.
Education and Achievements
Brandon Muramatsu's academic foundation is built on his extensive studies at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, where he earned both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering. His educational background not only underscores his technical proficiency but also provides a solid framework for his analytical and strategic capabilities in the realm of education technology and curriculum design.
Throughout his career, Brandon has held prominent roles in several esteemed organizations, reinforcing his leadership in educational innovation. Notable positions include his tenure as an Instructor at Harvard University Extension, where he enriched the academic experience of students with innovative curriculum delivery and cutting-edge learning models. He also served as the Associate Director at the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning at Utah State University, where he focused on advancing OER adoption and sustainable educational practices. As the Director of Alliances at MERLOT for the California State University Chancellor's Office, Brandon built strategic partnerships that significantly enhanced learning resources. His role as Project Director at NEEDS and SMETE.ORG at UC Berkeley showcased his capability to spearhead large-scale projects in education technology, while his prior experience as an instructor in Mechanical Engineering laid a strong groundwork for his current endeavors.
Throughout his career, Brandon has actively contributed to the evolution of STEM education, advocating for innovative practices and technological integration in curriculum development. His work has garnered recognition in the field, earning him respect as a leader capable of navigating complex educational ecosystems and driving meaningful change.
Achievements
Brandon Muramatsu has successfully managed an impressive portfolio of education technology and curriculum projects with a notable record of securing over $26 million in funding, demonstrating his effectiveness in leading initiatives that advance educational technology. His substantial experience in advocating for Open Education has made a significant impact on how educational resources are developed, shared, and utilized around the globe. His influence can be felt across multiple platforms as he fosters collaboration among educators to promote OER, ensuring that learning materials are accessible to everyone.
His initiatives at MIT Open Learning highlight Brandon's commitment to educational innovation. He has ingeniously managed the design and implementation of strategic projects that bring together educators and learners. Through his leadership, he has organized conferences and symposia that focus on the evolving landscape of learning technologies and open education, facilitating a space where thought leaders can discuss innovative approaches and share best practices.
Brandon’s exceptional ability to align technology with educational goals has not only transformed classrooms but has also inspired a generation of learners and educators to embrace digital methodologies in their teaching and learning processes. His long-standing dedication to improving the educational landscape speaks volumes about his character and professional ethos, positioning him as an influential figure in the education sector.
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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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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.
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