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Laura Bernhard, PhD
Project Manager | Researcher | Evaluator
Professional Background
Laura Bernhard is a highly skilled professional with a passion for gathering and analyzing qualitative data to tell compelling stories, identify organizational strengths, and pinpoint areas for improvement. Her approach integrates both data-driven decision-making and human connection, which she regards as essential in informing policy and enhancing user experiences. With extensive training and hands-on experience in various data collection methods—including one-on-one interviews, focus groups, surveys, and contextual inquiry—Laura's work is underpinned by her commitment to delivering insights that can inspire actionable change within organizations.
Throughout her career, Laura has excelled in managing multiple concurrent projects while ensuring that both she and her team remain focused and productive. She possesses a keen eye for detail and takes great joy in planning, scheduling, editing, and formatting different elements of her work. This meticulous approach is complemented by her creative flair; Laura integrates her background in the arts to visualize data in innovative and meaningful ways that resonate with diverse audiences.
As an individual who identifies as both an extrovert and introvert, Laura thrives on fostering connections with people—whether it’s through asking insightful questions or engaging in thoughtful dialogue. After these interactions, she dedicates herself to synthesizing the information gleaned and translating it into actionable insights that can lead to significant organizational advancements.
Education and Achievements
Laura's academic journey is marked by her dedication to higher education and organizational change. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she also completed her Master of Arts (MA) in Higher Education. Furthermore, Laura has earned an MA in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Black Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Her education has provided a robust framework for her career, allowing her to approach problems from various perspectives and develop innovative solutions that thrive in complex environments. Laura's profound understanding of higher education systems and organizational dynamics positions her among the leading voices in her field.
Career Contributions
Laura's professional journey has taken her through numerous prestigious roles and organizations where she has made invaluable contributions. As a former Senior Researcher at California Competes, Laura conducted in-depth research that directly informed statewide educational policies. Her role as a Senior Analyst at Stanford University further expanded her experience in program evaluation, assessment, and actionable analytics.
Laura also served as an Interim Director of Evaluation at Stanford University, where she spearheaded evaluation initiatives aimed at improving academic programs and enriching the student experience. Among her many roles, she has been deeply involved in curriculum development as a member of the Curriculum Development Committee at CWLOA, highlighting her commitment to educational improvement.
Laura's engagement with community-driven organizations, such as serving as a Volunteer Mentor at Oakland Promise and a Community Leader at November Project, Inc., showcases her belief in giving back to the community and supporting the next generation of learners. Her varied experiences as a Women's Lacrosse Official for both CWLOA and USA Lacrosse further highlight her diverse skill set and ability to navigate multiple roles in both academic and community settings.
In addition to her extensive work history, Laura has demonstrated a strong commitment to continuing education and professional development through roles such as Assessment Consultant at the NSF RCN-UBE Grant and a Graduate Student Researcher at UCLA. These positions not only expanded her expertise in assessment and evaluation but also sharpened her analytical skills and further deepened her understanding of the educational landscape.
Achievements
Laura has a track record of utilizing her skills to achieve measurable results.
- Data-Driven Insights: Her analytical work has informed important decisions and policy changes that enhance educational accessibility and efficacy.
- Program Evaluation: Laura’s evaluation initiatives at Stanford University have been vital in assessing student outcomes and improving academic programs.
- Engagement and Mentorship: Through her roles in various organizations, including mentoring students and developing curricula, she has impacted many lives by fostering growth and opportunity.
- Creative Visualization: Leveraging her artistic background, Laura has transformed complex data into visual representations that make the findings more accessible and actionable for stakeholders across different sectors.
In conclusion, Laura Bernhard stands out as a dedicated, passionate, and multifaceted professional in the field of data analysis and higher education. Her focus on qualitative data, coupled with her extensive experience and educational background, enables her to excel in the role of a researcher, consultant, and advocate for positive organizational change. With a deep understanding of the importance of both interpersonal connections and data-driven insights, Laura continues to make significant strides toward improving user experiences and influencing policy.
tags':['data analysis','qualitative research','higher education','organizational change','user experience','program evaluation','stakeholder engagement','curriculum development','community mentoring','women's lacrosse','project management','artistic visualization','policy informing','data collection methods'],
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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 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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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