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Natalie McKenna
Director Of Administration at the Harvard University Department of Human Evolutionary Biology
Professional Background
Natalie McKenna boasts an impressive professional trajectory that showcases her commitment to environmental policy and administrative excellence across prestigious institutions. Her career spans many roles that utilize her knowledge and skills in finance, administration, and environmental analysis, demonstrating her multifaceted expertise. Currently, she serves as the Director of Administration at Harvard University, where she plays an integral role in university operations and administrative policy development. In this dynamic position, Natalie applies her extensive experience to streamline administrative processes and enhance the overall operational effectiveness of the institution.
Before joining Harvard University, Natalie held the position of Associate Director of Finance and Administration at the Hariri Institute for Computing at Boston University. This role allowed her to manage financial systems efficiently and contribute to the strategic direction of the Institute, which is known for its research in computing and technology. Her ability to balance financial acumen with administrative oversight helped support the Institute's initiatives and ensured it remained at the forefront of innovation.
Natalie's administrative journey began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where her career evolved through various positions. She initially joined MIT as an Administrative Assistant I and efficiently advanced through the ranks to become the Manager of Administration and Finance. Her progressive promotions reflected her dedication, outstanding work ethic, and the critical value she brought to the administrative team at one of the world’s leading research universities.
Additionally, Natalie's experience spans multiple sectors, from compliance projects to environmental consulting. As the Regulated Community Compliance Project Ambassador at Boston University, she enhanced her strong background in environmental analysis, instilling a sense of responsibility toward sustainable practices in the community. Her early experiences also include internships, such as her role as an Environmental Consulting Intern with the Green Restaurant Association, which deepened her understanding of sustainable business practices and reinforced her commitment to environmental issues.
Education and Achievements
Natalie’s educational achievements have laid a strong foundation for her successful career in environmental analysis and policy. She completed her early education at Boston Latin School, where she cultivated critical thinking and analytical skills that would serve her well throughout her academic and professional journey.
Natalie earned her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University, making the Dean's List five times—a testament to her academic diligence and commitment. This degree provided her with a robust understanding of the complexities surrounding environmental concerns, equipping her with the tools necessary for making impactful changes in the field. Following this, she pursued her Master's Degree in Energy and Environmental Analysis, further enhancing her expertise and understanding of energy systems and environmental impacts.
In addition to her formal education, Natalie’s achievements throughout her career are noteworthy. They include transforming administrative practices at multiple institutions, contributing to cutting-edge research at Boston University’s Hariri Institute, and fostering sustainable compliance methodologies within academic settings. Her experiential learning stems from not only robust academic credentials but also a successful history of operational management and strategic implementation.
Achievements
Natalie's career is marked by a series of significant achievements that demonstrate her leadership and innovation within administrative roles. One of her notable accomplishments includes the establishment of streamlined administrative processes at the Hariri Institute for Computing, which set new standards for operational efficiency within the organization. Her strategic oversight directly contributed to the Institute's ability to focus resources on its mission of advancing research in technology and computing.
Her work at MIT is also commendable, where she played an essential role in maintaining organizational standards and guiding the finance team to improved performance metrics. By implementing new administrative frameworks, she reduced redundancies and improved communication across departments, enabling a culture of collaboration and excellence. These frameworks continue to serve as a benchmark for future administrative practices within the institution.
Moreover, Natalie's voluntary efforts as a Regulated Community Compliance Project Ambassador are indicative of her commitment to integrating sustainability into organizational practices. Her role in promoting compliance initiatives within the university community not only supported regulatory adherence but also fostered a culture of responsibility among peers, paving the way for future generations to prioritize sustainable practices in their professional endeavors.
In summary, Natalie McKenna's educational background and professional accomplishments reveal a dedicated and passionate individual whose work continuously impacts the realm of environmental analysis, policy, and administration. Her extensive career demonstrates her ability to lead, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to the academic community, making her a respected figure in her field. With a strong foundation in both environmental studies and organizational management, she exemplifies the effective integration of these disciplines within higher education settings.
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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 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.
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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.
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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 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.