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Danielle Toussaint
CXO at NewSchools Venture Fund - Author - Dare to Think Purple
Professional Background
Danielle Kristine Toussaint is a dynamic and multi-talented leader whose career spans a variety of roles ranging from Chief External Affairs Officer to published author and event producer. With a strong commitment to leveraging storytelling for social impact, she has collaborated with a diverse clientele including global corporations and nonprofit organizations. Danielle's expertise lies in brand marketing and strategic communications, utilizing her skills to advocate for change and support initiatives that promote education, social equity, and community development.
Currently, Danielle serves as the Chief External Affairs Officer at NewSchools Venture Fund, where she leads efforts to build relationships and foster partnerships that enhance the organization’s mission of transforming education for underserved children across the country. Her work here is marked by a commitment to social impact and stewardship of resources toward creating meaningful outcomes in the community.
Before taking on her role at NewSchools Venture Fund, Danielle held multiple leadership positions that showcase her versatility and capacity for communication and community engagement. At KID Museum, she was the Managing Director of Marketing and Communications, where she elevated the organization's presence and secured vital partnerships. As part of her role at iMentor, she served as Managing Director of Communications, helping to ensure that the organization effectively communicated its mission and success stories to a broader audience.
Danielle's endeavors also include her time as the Morgridge Communicator in Residence at The Aspen Institute, where she honed her skills in storytelling for social justice and inspired others through her compelling narratives. Her consultancy work, especially with the Ghana School Bag Project, demonstrates her global perspective and dedication to educational equity.
Education and Achievements
Danielle's educational background is impressive, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African American Studies from Yale University, and a Master of Science in Education with a focus on Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. These credentials reflect not only her academic prowess but also her profound understanding of the sociopolitical factors that shape our educational systems.
At Yale, Danielle was actively involved in various student organizations and initiatives, enriching her experience and shaping her perspective as a storyteller and advocate. Her time at the University of Pennsylvania further deepened her understanding of the educational landscape, empowering her to bring transformative ideas and actionable solutions to the forefront of her work.
Danielle is also a proud mentor to first-generation students through her involvement in both alumni communities, providing guidance and support to help them navigate their educational journeys successfully.
Notable Publications
In addition to her leadership roles, Danielle has made significant contributions to the world of writing and thought leadership. As a published author, she wrote "Dare to Think Purple" which aims to inspire others by promoting unique perspectives on tackling societal issues. Her writing has been featured in prominent platforms including the Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Business Insider, and TEDx, where her insights on education, social justice, and community engagement have reached diverse audiences.
Her contributions as a storyteller extend beyond print; she is also known for producing events that captivate and challenge attendees to engage with pressing social issues. Through her work at platforms like She Thinks Purple, she has shaped narratives that highlight the power of diversity, equity, inclusion, and innovation in educational reform.
Community Involvement and Organizations
Throughout her career, Danielle has actively engaged with a multitude of organizations, including the Tide Risers, where she facilitated discussions and workshops aimed at raising awareness and building competencies around educational change. Her role with organizations like the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) and the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) showcases her deep commitment to advocating for educational equity across various communities.
Danielle's diverse experiences and steadfast dedication make her a valuable asset in any endeavor she pursues. Her ability to connect with various stakeholders, understand their narratives, and transform those insights into actionable strategies continues to inspire those around her. She is a true testament to the power of storytelling as a tool for driving change and creating impactful dialogue around education and social impacts.
Overall, Danielle Kristine Toussaint embodies passion, innovation, and commitment. Whether it is through her extensive professional roles, her
Highlights
For nearly two decades, I’ve led creative teams of various sizes within social impact organizations and have also been a consultant, advisor, facilitator and trainer to hundreds of executive leaders and creative professionals.
I've had a front-row seat to observe what most often gets in the way or lost in translation between top communications and marketing executives and their C-suite bosses and peers. My new article series "The Proper Care and Feeding of Creatives" shares insights and suggestions for how to get the most out of partnership with creative teams. Enjoy!
Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eXzQpE2A
And ICYMI, here's the series introduction: https://lnkd.in/eXNVKjGp
#creativity #communications #marketing #design #leadershiphacks #creativeteams #creativeleadership #daretothinkpurple #purplehaus
What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from people. Hearing what others have accomplished despite challenges and setbacks is always exactly what I need to get inspired.
Last night, I was part of a packed audience who watched my mentor, Tiffany Norwood deliver a one-woman stage performance, #SexyBlackGenius, which culminated in an multimedia experience created with #AI.
What I heard and saw and felt had a deep impact on me.
👂🏾I heard Tiffany remind me and everyone that we are all already “worthy and wealthy.” It’s up to us how we spend our wealth, and wise people invest in their own dreams.
👀 I saw her take up space for 75 minutes, believing in the value of her own ideas and in the power of bringing something that lived previously just in her imagination to life.
💜 I felt the energy of the audience, who like me were hanging on her every word, finding new threads of possibility in all the stories she weaved together.
And today, feeling inspired in a way I hadn’t in weeks, I finally stopped procrastinating and I reached out to several people to ask them to #DreamPurple with me.
Can’t wait to share more with you all soon.
#sexyblackgenius #tribetan #inspiration
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
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
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- 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.