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Michelle Lokot
Research Fellow
Professional Background
Michelle Lokot is a dedicated researcher and humanitarian practitioner with over ten years of extensive experience in gender equality and women's empowerment. With a strong academic foundation and practical expertise, Michelle has contributed significantly to various projects that address critical issues facing women and marginalized communities across the globe. Her impressive career trajectory includes vital roles in renowned organizations, including her current position as a Research Fellow at the prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. Michelle aims to use her knowledge in qualitative research, gender-based violence, forced migration, and gender and inclusion audits to enact sustainable change and improve the social fabric of communities.
Michelle’s career began in gender-focused positions at World Vision Australia, where she effectively stepped through a series of roles, building her expertise. Starting as a Gender Officer, she quickly progressed to become the National Gender Officer and later served as a Grants and Project Officer. Her dedication led her to transition to international postings, such as the role of National Gender Officer and Junior Advocacy Program Officer in Burundi. This breadth of experience laid the groundwork for becoming Program Manager for Women’s Protection and Empowerment at International Rescue Committee, where she specified strategies and implemented organized efforts to empower women in crises.
Michelle's engagement with Mercy Corps as an Adolescent Girl Advisor further exemplifies her commitment to creating impactful relationships and strategies that improve the lives of young women. At Mercy Corps, she focused on crafting and executing comprehensive strategies for adolescent girls, highlighting her extensive knowledge in community-based development that supports the understanding of cultural nuances influencing gender. With her longstanding focus on gender-based violence prevention initiatives, Michelle has established herself as an advocate for humanitarian rights and a leader in her field.
Throughout her career, Michelle has performed long-term fieldwork in various countries, including Jordan, Nigeria, and Burundi, which has given her unique insights into the challenges women face in different social and cultural contexts. Her experience allows her to leverage best practices and tailor her approach based on region-specific challenges and opportunities for empowerment.
Education and Achievements
Michelle Lokot boasts a rich educational background that equips her with the knowledge and skills necessary to operate within her field's complex dynamics. She obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Gender Studies from the renowned SOAS University of London, which represents the culmination of her commitment to advancing her understanding and drive for research relating to gender issues. This pivotal achievement has established her as an expert in her field, allowing her to contribute significant insights that inform policies and programs.
Prior to her PhD, Michelle earned a Masters in International and Community Development, specializing in Gender, from Deakin University. Furthermore, she earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree along with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Monash University. These academic qualifications reflect her deep understanding of the interplay between legal frameworks and social issues impacting gender equality, further enriching her competency as a researcher and practitioner.
Notable Achievements
Michelle's career is adorned with a multitude of achievements that underscore her capacity to initiate meaningful change. Her research efforts have often focused on gender-based violence, leading to impactful recommendations for policy adaptations that address systemic issues within organizations and communities. She has conducted numerous gender and inclusion audits, consistently aiming to create pathways for marginalized voices, fundamentally reshaping development agendas.
Michelle’s ability to lead and engage with various stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and community groups, has been instrumental in facilitating consensus, cooperation, and long-term commitment to gender empowerment projects. By fostering meaningful dialogue, she ensures that various perspectives are acknowledged and integrated into project development and execution.
Additionally, her fieldwork experience has afforded her opportunities to design culturally sensitive interventions tailored to the unique needs of communities she has worked with, demonstrating her invaluable role in program implementation. Michelle's academic and professional contributions have established her as a thought leader, demonstrating a sincere commitment to advancing gender equality on a local and global scale.
As Michelle continues to profoundly impact the humanitarian and research sectors, her journey serves as an inspiring reflection of dedication, skill, and a drive to uplift women and girls, with a commitment to fostering environments that promote equal rights and opportunities for all.
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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 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 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 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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