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Tia Hicks
Program Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Professional Background
Tia Hicks is an accomplished professional with an extensive background in education, research, philanthropy, policy, housing and community development, and community organizing. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Tia has always had a personal connection to the issues that face low-income communities of color. Her unwavering commitment to advancing equity comes from her lived experiences and her belief in the power of equitable policy as a transformative lever for change. Throughout her career, Tia has cultivated a profound understanding of the needs and aspirations of historically disinvested communities, positioning her as a leading advocate in the field.
Tia currently serves as a Program Officer at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where she works tirelessly to promote community development and improve the quality of life for residents in urban environments. Her previous roles, including serving as the Policy Director for Community Education at HOPE SF within the Office of the Mayor in San Francisco, allowed her to shape policy initiatives that directly impact educational equity and housing stability for vulnerable populations. Tia has also ran her own consultancy focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies, allowing her to work closely with organizations aiming to foster inclusive environments.
Tia has held several other impactful positions, including a role as a Community Development Intern at the City and County of San Francisco, where she gained firsthand experience in local policy and community engagement. Her work as a Graduate Student Researcher in various city departments offered her valuable insights into the data-driven approaches required for effective policy formulation. Committed to uplifting community voices, she has worked alongside grassroots organizations and coalitions, such as the Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition, implementing strategies designed to empower local leaders and enhance collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
Education and Achievements
Tia holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree with a focus on Public Policy Analysis and Social and Urban Policy from the prestigious Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Her academic journey also includes dual Bachelor’s degrees - a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies, both earned Magna Cum Laude at Cornell University. These degrees have equipped her with a robust analytical framework and an understanding of socio-economic dynamics, making her adept at navigating complex community issues.
Before pursuing her advanced degrees, Tia graduated from Marin Academy, which set a strong academic foundation for her future endeavors. Tia's educational achievements are further distinguished by her involvement in numerous research initiatives and fellowships during her time in university, such as the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Moore Undergraduate Research Program (MURAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These experiences empowered her to contribute scholarly insights while developing hands-on skills that enhance her impact in the field of public policy and community development.
Notable Achievements
Throughout her career, Tia has received recognition for her leadership and impact in advancing equity and community engagement. Her tenure at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation has solidified her role as a critical thinker and innovator in community development practices. She successfully spearheaded programs addressing housing affordability and access to education resources for low-income families in urban settings.
As a former teacher with Teach For America and Oakland Unified School District, Tia's passion for education reform is evident. She worked directly in classrooms with students, creating inclusive learning environments that cater to the diverse needs of her students, ultimately driving positive academic outcomes. Her commitment to education extends beyond the classroom, as she has engaged in research and policy development aimed at improving educational access and equity overall.
Tia's work with various organizations has also included contributions to cultural policy through projects such as the Cultural Permitting Project at Creative Many Michigan, where she addressed the intersection of policy with cultural preservation. Furthermore, her role as an organizing coordinator has strengthened the capacity of local organizations to mobilize and advocate on behalf of their communities.
In summary, Tia Hicks is a dedicated advocate for social justice, utilizing her extensive experience in policy analysis, community organizing, and education reform to create equitable opportunities for marginalized communities. Her academic and professional endeavors are driven by a deep commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of community life.
Tia remains committed to continuous learning and engagement, recognizing that the journey toward equity is ongoing. With her inspiring path and proactive approach, she is poised to make significantly impactful contributions to community development and public policy for years to come.
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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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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 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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