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Amélie Koran
Technology Therapist, Advocate & Advisor
Professional Background
Amélie Koran is a seasoned senior technology leader with a wealth of experience accumulated over 20 years in both public and private sectors. Her extensive background spans various industries, enabling her to develop innovative strategies and solutions that cater to complex organizational needs. Known for her adeptness in technology and cybersecurity practices, Amélie has successfully spearheaded multiple projects that enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Throughout her career, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by overseeing teams of over 100 staff members while delivering solutions that leverage Agile frameworks within a DevSecOps environment. Her deft management style not only aligns tactical goals with strategic vision but also fosters an inclusive and empowering workplace culture where innovation thrives.
In her most notable role at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG), Amélie managed an impressive budget of over $40 million. Through her innovative execution, she achieved a remarkable 99.97% efficiency rate. This was indicative of her dedication to driving success for the organization. Her strategic initiatives have made significant impacts, such as developing comprehensive proposals that promote investments in emerging technologies and modernization efforts to enhance operational continuity, leading to consistent year-over-year portfolio growth, delivery efficacy, and adept resource management activities.
Amélie's footprint in government and industry initiatives is pivotal. She played a crucial role in the establishment of the US Digital Service (USDS) and contributed to the design and implementation of the President’s Management Agenda for the Open Data Initiative. Additionally, she was instrumental in creating the U.S. Department of the Interior’s first mobile technology strategy. Her achievements in the public sector also include leading the 2014 revision of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), ensuring agency clearance and approval at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the Executive Office of the President (EOP).
Education and Achievements
Amélie Koran's educational journey began at Bridgetown Junior High School, followed by Urbana High School, where she laid the groundwork for her future success. She furthered her studies at Carnegie Mellon University, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree, which provided her with a robust foundation in technological principles and practices that have been pivotal in her career.
Her professional trajectory includes a multitude of prestigious roles within prominent organizations. At Electronic Arts (EA), she served as the Director of External Technology Relations, leading multicultural teams to explore and harness new technological advancements within the industry. Her tenure as a Senior Technology Advocate at Splunk enabled her to translate complex technology into accessible solutions for clients, solidifying her reputation as a trusted advisor in technology.
Within the HHS OIG where she ascended to the role of Chief Technology Officer and Digital Services Director as well as Deputy Chief Information Officer, Amélie played a defining role in shaping the technological landscape of the agency. She influenced significant changes that optimized efficiency and promoted safeguarding practices across the agency's operations.
Her career boasts numerous high-impact positions such as Deputy Chief Information Officer at HHS OIG, Manager of Security Architecture and Services at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Senior Architect for Architecture and Technology Strategy at The Walt Disney Company. Amélie's technical expertise and innovative mindset have made her an invaluable asset in each of these roles, consistently driving technological advancements aligned with organizational goals.
Amélie's previous positions include being an IT Policy Analyst at The White House, where she contributed to policies that govern national security and technology deployment within government frameworks. Being an Enterprise Security Architecture Service Area Lead at the U.S. Department of the Interior further illustrates her capability in leading security initiatives that foster public trust and safety.
With experience ranging from information security roles at the World Bank to technical positions at various notable companies, including Mandiant and Constellation Energy, Amélie has a rare breadth of experience that uniquely equips her to tackle multifaceted challenges within the technology sector.
Achievements
Amélie Koran's accomplishments are numerous and reflect her commitment to excellence, innovation, and service. She successfully executed projects that resulted in significant budget efficiencies and achieving clear financial objectives while leading change management initiatives that proved transformative within org
Highlights
Hey, popping my head up again here... Hi! 👋
So, I have a job posting to share. (see below)
It's been a long road, nearly six (6) months to the day from when I started here, and, well, in order to post this with authority I had to add where I now work back to my profile. But it's for a good reason.
I'm HIRING! (cue crowd cheer)
That's right... better yet, it's on my team... and, and... get this, it's working WITH me!
You know, all those times at conferences, or in social gathering where you said "hey, you're neat, if you ever have a chance to get a job opening on your team let me know..." well, all, this is THAT particular moment for THAT particular role.
So, what is this? Well, it's part of a team focusing on red team (offensive security operations) for artificial intelligence (AI) and omnichannel (I'll let you Google that) retail work. It's cool, because, well, it's for the world's largest private company (I think we've got into a debate whether or not certain government employ more people). This means it has GLOBAL scale (and after six months here, I will not pull your leg and say "you haven't seen SCALE until you've been here..." - like, you know I love that scene from Ghostbusters (1984) and Egon's Twinkie speech... like THAT in size... not just Central Park, but like all of Long Island sized Twinkie.
If you want to poke and prod and touch tech where it doesn't want you to touch it, find vulns, bad configs, maybe not the best implementation, fix stuff, educate developers and business leaders, stay on top of all the cool new stuff, and help your fellow humans out, this is probably a role for you.
Here's the details... (click link) ---> https://lnkd.in/e_7Batgt
We can hire in Reston/Herndon, VA area or Bentonville, AR - but we do offer relocation for highly qualified candidates that meet muster. I'm looking for folks way smarter than me - I'm not afraid to admit it... my job is to make your lives easier once you're here and enable you to do your best work in the way you can do it. We are looking to have, when you aren't working on a campaign, in the office two (2) days a week - but realistically, as you are going to primarily be doing threat emulation & simulation, you live primarily off-net, so short of meetings & non-campaign time, you do have a lot of work from home flexibility. I'm a seasoned manager who has worked with remote teams since 2011, so I understand the model.
We offer very competitive salaries and benefits (no joke), the work life balance is amazing, and the team is actually a team (no lie, no joke) - and that's worth more than gold in my book.
If you are interested, know somebody who's interested, apply but also feel free to DM me (or comment) to discuss anything that may not be clear.
#RedTeam #OffensiveSecurity #AI #LLM #ML #data #retail #omnichannel #security #PurpleTeam #BlueTeam #Walmart #technology
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Mesh 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.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- 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
Mesh 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.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh 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.
Mesh 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. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh 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. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh 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. Mesh 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, Mesh 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.
Mesh 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.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh 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. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh 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 Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh 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, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh 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. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh 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.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh'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. Mesh 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 Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh'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, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh 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 Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.