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Van Schoales
President- A+ Colorado
Professional Background
Van Schoales is a prominent and passionate advocate for education reform and improvement, currently serving as the President of A+ Colorado. With a remarkable career spanning thirty years, he has made significant contributions to the field of education, impacting both classroom practices and state education policies. Van's extensive experience encompasses a range of roles from high school science teacher to non-profit leader, showcasing his dedication to enhancing educational opportunities for all students.
Throughout his career, Van has been pivotal in founding and leading several noteworthy educational organizations, including the Odyssey School and the Denver School of Science and Technology. His commitment to fostering equitable educational experiences is further exemplified through his involvement with Democrats for Education Reform Colorado and the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools. His leadership roles within these organizations have allowed him to influence and implement systemic changes aimed at improving student outcomes and championing innovative educational practices.
In addition to his leadership positions, Van Schoales is recognized as an award-winning high school science teacher and school leader. This recognition highlights his effectiveness in facilitating learning and inspiring students to reach their highest potential. His hands-on experience in the classroom has informed his broader perspectives on education policy and reform, making him an invaluable asset to discussions around educational improvement.
Education and Achievements
Van Schoales’s robust educational background is a critical foundation for his work in education reform. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he first developed his passion for scientific inquiry and education. Building upon this foundation, he pursued a Master of Science in Geological Sciences from Brown University, further enhancing his expertise in the sciences.
Continuing his commitment to educational administration, Van earned two significant Master of Arts degrees: one in Education Administration from San Francisco State University and another in Education from Stanford University. This academic journey not only equipped him with the knowledge necessary to lead educational institutions but also instilled a philosophical understanding of the importance of innovative educational structures.
Beyond his academic credentials, Van has authored numerous papers on a range of topics within education, including school choice, charter schools, accountability measures, and science education. His writings contribute to the ongoing national conversation about educational reform and are often cited in prominent news organizations, establishing him as a thought leader in the field.
Notable Contributions and Recognition
Van Schoales is frequently quoted in reputable education news stories, which showcases his expertise and perspectives on critical educational issues. He has been featured in media outlets such as The Denver Post, National Public Radio, Fox News, The New York Times, and Education Week, reflecting his influence and authority on matters pertaining to educational policy and reform. His insights are sought after by journalists and policymakers alike, underscoring his role as a trusted voice in education.
Furthermore, Van serves as a Denver Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, demonstrating his broader commitment to the cultural and developmental aspect of education. This role aligns with his belief that education is not solely about academics but about fostering cultural understanding and inclusivity within the community.
In summary, Van Schoales is a transformative figure in the landscape of education reform. His extensive experience, coupled with his strong educational background and commitment to community engagement, positions him as a leading advocate for improving educational outcomes. His leadership at A+ Colorado and various educational organizations continue to inspire efforts toward creating equitable, high-quality education for all students.
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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 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'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.