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Patrick Cook-Deegan
Founder + CEO at Project Wayfinder // Founded at Stanford's d.school - we're hiring!
Professional Background
Patrick Cook-Deegan is a dedicated educator and advocate who has committed his career to helping young people cultivate lives filled with purpose, meaning, and belonging. With a strong background in social-emotional learning as well as future-ready skills development, Patrick is actively working to build the world’s premier K-12 company focused on these critical areas. His experience in leadership and innovation in education is complemented by his dedication to fostering impactful relationships and empowering students to realize their potential.
Throughout his illustrious career, Patrick has held various significant positions, most notably as the Founder and CEO of Wayfinder. At Wayfinder, he created an organization that centers around supporting students as they discover their identities and build their futures in an ever-changing world. Patrick's leadership at Wayfinder not only showcases his entrepreneurial spirit but also demonstrates his passion for equipping young individuals with the necessary tools for their personal and academic growth.
In addition to his work at Wayfinder, Patrick has served as a lecturer at Stanford University, where he shared his insights and expertise with a new generation of educators. His contributions to education have extended globally, having taught mindfulness and design thinking at UWC ISAK Japan, where students are encouraged to think innovatively and lead with empathy. His role as an instructor reflects his commitment to blending mindfulness practices with educational theories, showcasing his belief in holistic education.
Patrick's early career included being a wilderness guide and instructor, where his experience shaped his understanding of resilience and collaboration in natural settings. His journey through education has been enriched by his roles as the West Coast Director at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, and as a teacher at Metwest High School, a school built on the Big Picture Learning philosophy which emphasizes real-world experiences and personalized learning pathways.
His passion for social justice and advocacy is illustrated through his former role as Director of Strategic Partnerships at the U.S. Campaign for Burma. Here, he played an integral role in driving initiatives that aimed to foster positive change andimpact in the region. Patrick also holds the prestigious title of Fulbright Scholar, awarded by the U.S. Department of State, thus acknowledging his contributions and commitment to international education and cultural exchange.
Patrick is also a celebrated founding member of the Brown Social Innovation Initiative at the Swearer Center at Brown University. In this role, he worked to engage students and community members in conversations and actions surrounding social innovation, further enhancing his dedication to ensuring that education enriches communities.
Education and Achievements
Patrick Cook-Deegan's educational background is as impressive as his professional journey. He studied the History of American Education at Brown University, where his interest in the transformative power of education began to grow. His education continued at Stanford University, where he was an Education Innovation Fellow at the K12 Lab Network at the Stanford d.school. This program allowed him to explore innovative approaches to education and design, further bolstering his expertise in the field.
In addition to his studies at these prestigious institutions, Patrick has participated in programs aimed at fostering outdoor education and mentorship. He completed the Outdoor Educator Program at NOLS, a program that emphasizes the significance of experiential learning and connection to nature. Furthermore, he was involved in a Mentorship Program at The Tracking Project, enhancing his skills in guiding and inspiring young individuals.
Patrick’s achievements in integrating social-emotional learning with traditional educational practices have not gone unnoticed. He is highly regarded in the field for his innovative approaches and practical applications that help prepare students not just academically but holistically for the future. This includes helping students understand their emotions, develop resilience when faced with challenges, and build strong relationships.
Notable Achievements
- Founder & CEO of Wayfinder: Under Patrick's leadership, Wayfinder has emerged as a leader in the space of social-emotional learning, providing resources and support to students and educators alike.
- Lecturer at Stanford University: Having shared his knowledge with future educators, he has greatly influenced the educational landscape and continues to champion innovative teaching practices.
- Instructor at UWC ISAK Japan: His role in this international educational community showcases his commitment to global education and inspires students to embrace diversity and leadership.
- West Coast Director at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education: Here, Patrick significantly promoted mindfulness practices, helping students learn to focus and be present, which is essential in today’s fast-paced world.
- Fulbright Scholar: This honor illustrates his dedication to education and cultural exchanges on an international level, further enhancing his expertise and perspective in education.
Through his extensive experience and achievements, Patrick Cook-Deegan continues to inspire and uplift young people. His life’s work demonstrates a deep understanding of what it means to be a learner in today’s complex world, and he remains a pivotal figure in shaping the future of education.
tags=[
Social-emotional learning
Future-ready skills
K-12 education
Education innovation
Mindfulness education
Outdoor education
Leadership in education
Youth mentorship
Holistic education
Brown University
Stanford University
UWC ISAK Japan
Fulbright Scholar
Social innovation
Wilderness guiding
Location
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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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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.
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.
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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 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.
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