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Irene Fernando
Hennepin County Commissioner - District 2
Professional Background
Irene Fernando is a distinguished Hennepin County Commissioner representing District 2, where she plays a vital role in shaping policies that impact the lives of her constituents. Her extensive career in leadership and development is marked by a commitment to community service and youth empowerment, drawing from her unique blend of educational and professional experiences.
Before her role as a Commissioner, Irene served as Talent Lead for the Church Solutions Group at Thrivent Financial, where she utilized her expertise to foster talent development and enhance organizational performance. This position allowed her to align her passion for leadership with her commitment to community-focused initiatives.
Irene's impressive credentials extend to academia, as she previously held the position of Adjunct Faculty at St. Mary's University of Minnesota. In this role, she contributed to the education and development of future leaders, sharing her insights on leadership and community engagement with students.
Moreover, Irene's foundational work includes her time as a Senior New Business Development Specialist at Thrivent Financial, where she was instrumental in driving new business initiatives that supported the organization's mission to help individuals achieve financial security. Her strategic thinking and innovative approach led to notable achievements during her tenure.
One of the highlights of Irene's career was being recognized as a Bush Fellow by the Bush Foundation. This prestigious fellowship provided her with the opportunity to enhance her leadership skills further and deepen her impact within her community. Her knowledge and experience gained from this fellowship have been invaluable in her current role as a public servant.
Additionally, Irene is known for co-founding and serving as Co-Executive Director at Students Today Leaders Forever, an organization dedicated to empowering young individuals to become leaders in their communities. This initiative showcases Irene's commitment to the youth and her dedication to nurturing the next generation of leaders.
Education and Achievements
Irene Fernando's academic journey began at the University of Minnesota, where she earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business from the prestigious Carlson School of Management. Her undergraduate education laid the groundwork for her understanding of business principles, financial strategies, and operational efficiency, which she has applied throughout her career.
Continuing her educational pursuits, Irene completed her Master of Education (M.Ed.) in the Youth Development Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This advanced degree reflects her passion for youth development and her commitment to creating opportunities for young people to thrive. Through this program, she acquired knowledge and skills related to community building, leadership theory, and the various frameworks necessary to engage and uplift youth within her community.
Achievements
Irene Fernando's career is characterized by a series of notable achievements that underscore her dedication to service, leadership, and community development. Her role as Hennepin County Commissioner exemplifies her commitment to serving the public and advocating for policies that foster equity and opportunity.
As Talent Lead at Thrivent Financial, Irene successfully implemented programs that enhanced employee engagement and professional growth, earning her recognition for her contributions to the organization’s positive workplace culture. Her work as Adjunct Faculty has not only shaped aspiring leaders but also provided a platform for her to share her knowledge and experiences, further influencing the next generation of professionals.
Being honored as a Bush Fellow reflects Irene's leadership and commitment to continuous improvement, allowing her to refine her skills further and engage in transformative work within her community. Her co-founding of Students Today Leaders Forever showcases her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to instilling leadership qualities in young minds, influencing countless students on their journeys to becoming community leaders.
Overall, Irene Fernando exemplifies a multifaceted professional whose educational background, significant career roles, and community-oriented initiatives converge to make a positive impact on society. Her unwavering dedication to her work, her community, and the development of young leaders marks her as a key figure in Hennepin County and beyond.
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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.
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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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