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Walaa Ahmad
Assistant Director, Office of Educational Equity & Diversity Programs, Erie's '40 Under 40'
Professional Background
Walaa Ahmad is a seasoned Assistant Director with extensive experience in the non-profit organization management industry as well as the field of higher education. With a commitment to promoting educational equity and diversity, Walaa has made a meaningful impact at the Office of Educational Equity & Diversity Programs at Penn State University, where she currently serves as an Assistant Director. Her multifaceted skill set encompasses nonprofit organizations, higher education, event planning, and customer service, making her an invaluable asset in any collaborative environment.
Throughout her career, Walaa has honed her administrative and organizational skills, contributing significantly to various projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for underrepresented communities. Her background in nonprofit management complements her role in higher education, allowing her to bridge gaps and foster inclusivity within academic settings. Walaa’s leadership is evident in her ability to coordinate events that promote awareness, create engagement, and support educational equity.
Education and Achievements
Walaa Ahmad earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with a focus in Communications and Media Studies from Penn State University. Her education has provided her with a solid foundation in effective communication strategies and media relations, which are essential in her professional endeavors. During her time at Penn State, she immersed herself in various experiences that not only enriched her education but also contributed to her professional development.
In her role at the Office of Educational Equity & Diversity Programs, Walaa has played a critical role in implementing programs that cater to diverse populations, thereby enhancing the educational experience for all students. She understands the importance of representation in education and works diligently to ensure that all voices are heard and represented within the academic community.
Walaa’s work exemplifies her dedication to creating an equitable educational environment. Her contributions have led to the successful rollout of initiatives that support academic success and personal growth among students from diverse backgrounds. This legacy of service not only reflects her professional ethos but also highlights her commitment to social justice and inclusivity.
Achievements
Walaa’s impressive career is marked by several notable achievements within the nonprofit and higher education sectors. She is particularly skilled in event planning, using her expertise to organize impactful events that raise awareness about educational equity and diversity. Her proficiency in tools such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word ensures that she maintains high standards of data management and communication in all her projects.
Her ability to foster strong customer service and build relationships has been paramount to her success in engaging with students, faculty, and community stakeholders alike. Walaa's work has not only benefited those she directly serves but has also instigated broader conversations around the importance of diversity in education, making a lasting impact on the institution as a whole.
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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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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
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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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.
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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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