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Suzanne Wallen
Senior Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin
Professional Background
Suzanne Wallen is an accomplished and dedicated professional in the fields of fundraising and nonprofit management. With an impressive track record of raising a staggering $320 million from a diverse range of sources including government bodies, foundations, and corporate entities, Suzanne has established herself as a force in the nonprofit sector. Her extensive experience spans global, national, and local institutions, demonstrating her ability to adapt and thrive in varied environments.
As the Senior Director of Development for Corporate and Foundation Relations at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Suzanne plays a pivotal role in guiding the institution's fundraising strategies. Prior to this significant position, she served as Director of Development for the same organization, honing her skills in relationship-building with key stakeholders, including business leaders and philanthropic donors. Her strategic approach not only increases revenue but also fosters collaboration across different sectors of society.
Suzanne’s career is marked by her profound understanding of the interconnections between the public and private sectors. She recognizes both the challenges and opportunities that arise within these domains and is adept at crafting innovative partnerships that capitalize on them. Throughout her career, she has effectively managed cross-functional teams, driving initiatives that lead to sustainable growth and enhanced visibility in an increasingly competitive nonprofit landscape.
Her impressive background includes significant roles at various esteemed organizations, cementing her reputation as a proven change agent whose work actively contributes to the organizational goals while upholding a commitment to long-term success.
Education and Achievements
Suzanne's educational journey laid the groundwork for her successful career. She studied at The American School in Switzerland, a prestigious institution known for its rigorous curriculum and international environment. She then pursued her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology at Pitzer College, where she developed a deep understanding of human behavior and societal interactions. This multifaceted background in social sciences has undoubtedly informed her qualitative approach to nonprofit management and fundraising.
Suzanne further enhanced her expertise by earning a Master’s in Regional Planning (MRP) in International Planning from Cornell University. This experience equipped her with the tools necessary to navigate complex organizational structures and lead initiatives that require multifaceted strategies, essential for thriving in non-profit environments.
Throughout her career, Suzanne has received accolades for her contributions to the field, particularly in building relationships with stakeholders and developing successful fundraising strategies. Her work is characterized by a commitment to excellence and a keen understanding of the importance of visibility and collaboration in achieving institutional goals.
Achievements
Suzanne Wallen's notable achievements throughout her career are testaments to her unparalleled dedication and professional acumen. Some of her key accomplishments include:
- Raising Over $320 Million: Through strategic relationship building and keen insights into funding opportunities, Suzanne has successfully raised substantial funds that have driven the mission and initiatives of various institutions.
- Leadership at Dell Medical School: As Senior Director of Development, Suzanne has spearheaded fundraising efforts that establish vital partnerships, ensuring that Dell Medical School maintains its position at the forefront of medical education and research.
- Innovative Partnership Development: Recognized for her ability to forge and manage innovative partnerships, Suzanne has developed solutions that enhance organizational visibility and revenue streams in competitive fundraising landscapes.
- Cross-functional Team Management: Her experience in managing diverse teams has resulted in cohesive strategies that align with broader institutional goals, ensuring lasting impact and effective resource allocation.
- Rich Experience Across Prestigious Organizations: Having held various senior roles in organizations such as Partners HealthCare, MIT Libraries, and The Asia Foundation, Suzanne has cultivated a wealth of expertise that enhances her contributions to any group she joins.
With a career that reflects a passion for making a difference, Suzanne Wallen continues to demonstrate her commitment to advancing the missions of the organizations she serves, all while cultivating a culture of collaboration, sustainability, and innovation.
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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 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 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.