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James McGann
Professor and Director TTCSP Global Research Program University of Pennsylvania
Professional Background
Dr. James G. McGann is a distinguished academic and thought leader in the field of International Studies, currently serving as a senior lecturer at the prestigious Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. His wealth of experience spans over three decades, focusing primarily on international relations and the dynamics of think tanks and civil societies. As the director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, Dr. McGann has been instrumental in driving research and providing critical insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by think tanks, policymakers, and international organizations worldwide.
Prior to his current role, Dr. McGann served as the assistant director of the International Relations Program, alongside his tenure as a professor of international relations at the University of Pennsylvania. His deep understanding of the intersection of policy and practice in international affairs has made him an invaluable asset to numerous organizations. At the Foreign Policy Research Institute, where he has held the positions of senior fellow and director of the Think Tanks and Foreign Policy Program since 1989, Dr. McGann has contributed to pioneering research that informs foreign policy decisions.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. McGann is the founder and president of McGann Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to tackling the complex challenges confronting think tanks and philanthropic institutions. His entrepreneurial spirit in the realm of program and management consulting has allowed him to work in partnership with governments and civil society organizations across more than 95 countries.
Education and Achievements
Dr. McGann's academic credentials are a testament to his commitment to excellence and scholarly pursuit. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, following a robust educational journey that laid the foundation for his professional achievements. His academic journey includes a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from La Salle University, as well as a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Administration from Temple University, and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Throughout his career, Dr. McGann has been recognized for his contributions to the field of international relations. He is the creator and editor of the highly regarded annual Global Go To Think Tank Index, a resource that benchmarks the performance of think tanks globally, providing invaluable data for policymakers, researchers, and academics alike.
His impactful work extends to his past roles, including a position as the senior vice president for the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats—a role where he assisted the U.S. Department of State by developing programs aimed at enhancing international and economic affairs for high-ranking diplomats and government officials. Among his many initiatives, he designed comprehensive programs addressing a variety of issues that affect global regions, showcasing his ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
Notable Contributions
Dr. McGann's career has been marked by several notable contributions to international affairs. His leadership at the Kennedy School of Government as the assistant director of the Institute of Politics gave him a platform to influence political discourse and foreign policy development. Furthermore, his time as a National Fellow at Stanford University allowed him to refine his research and arguments in public policy further, culminating in a profound dissertation that exemplified his intellectual rigor.
From 1983 to 1989, Dr. McGann worked with The Pew Charitable Trusts as a public policy program officer, where he played an essential role in shaping discussions around charitable giving and policy implications. His experience with this well-established foundation not only honed his skills in public policy analysis but also broadened his perspective on the role of philanthropy in international relations.
As a scholar and consultant, Dr. McGann has a long-standing commitment to educating the next generation of leaders in international relations and public policy, through both teaching and mentoring. His extensive network within the think tank community positions him as a vital bridge between academia, policy formulation, and practice in the complexities of international affairs.
In summary, Dr. James G. McGann is an exemplary figure in the realm of international studies, with a career characterized by academic excellence, innovative research, and a commitment to improving the efficacy of think tanks across the globe. His leadership and insights continue to shape the field and influence the next wave of policies that address pressing global challenges.
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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.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
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.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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.
Nexus is Clay's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
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.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
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.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
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.