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David L. Gould
Faculty and Honors Program Associate
Professional Background
David L. Gould is currently a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Iowa’s illustrious Public Policy Center, where he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience focused on engaging students within public policy and higher education. Mr. Gould has an impressive track record at the University of Iowa, where he has played numerous pivotal roles, including that of an administrator at the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, and Associate Director of Professional Student Development within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. His contributions to the university extend to being a Lecturer in the Department of Health and Human Physiology and the first Obermann Center Public Scholar.
In addition to his academic roles, David made significant contributions to the transformation of Las Vegas through his involvement with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project. His work there focused on cultivating a community-centered approach that aimed to redefine urban living in Las Vegas, striving to make it the “most community-focused large city in the world.”
With over a decade dedicated to reimagining higher education, Mr. Gould’s innovative approach has led to the development of unique university courses centered on themes such as meaning and community engagement. His efforts have not gone unnoticed; from 2010-2020, graduating seniors at the University of Iowa recognized Mr. Gould as one of the top faculty and staff members who have profoundly impacted their lives. His commitment to nurturing students has garnered him prestigious accolades, including the 2020 Honors Teaching Award and the 2019 David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to The University of Iowa.
Education and Achievements
David L. Gould pursued his MA in Leisure Studies at The University of Iowa, where he cultivated his passions for community engagement and public discourse. Previously, he began his educational journey at Northern Illinois University, setting the stage for his future endeavors in academia, public policy, and community development. His educational background has shaped his holistic understanding of the dynamics within higher education and how they intersect with broader societal issues.
In addition to his substantial academic contributions, Mr. Gould is a highly sought-after public speaker. His insights have resonated with audiences across multiple platforms, and his notable speeches include the commencement address for the University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, engaging presentations at the Next Gen. Summit, and keynotes in international settings, such as Tokyo, Japan, focusing on educating 21st-century adolescent learners. His TEDx talks, including TEDx Iowa City and TEDxUNI, exemplify his dedication to sharing knowledge and inspiring positive change.
Mr. Gould has also expanded his professional footprint as an author, contributing essays to the highly anticipated book MC24 by celebrated designer Bruce Mau, published by Phaidon Press in June 2020. This demonstrates his commitment to not only educating but also inspiring through written word and his engagement with design in education.
Achievements
Throughout his career, David L. Gould has made notable strides in academia and public service, earning accolades such as the 2020 Honors Teaching Award and the 2019 David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award. His recognition by students as a transformative influence highlights his dedication to fostering a positive educational experience.
David’s impressive trajectory includes leadership positions such as:
- President at Shadow Bird Productions, where he executed innovative programming that captivated audiences.
- Director of Programming & Events at the Provost’s Office of Outreach and Engagement at The University of Iowa, influencing public engagement initiatives that have shaped community interactions.
- Director of Imagination at the Downtown Project, where he played a vital role in envisioning a community-focused urban landscape.
Mr. Gould's multifaceted career reflects his passion for enhancing the educational landscape and his commitment to meaningful community involvement. His exploration of creative solutions tobring people together through education and engagement continues to pave the way for future generations of leaders and changemakers.
Highlights
I reflect on 2023 with gratitude. I have been blessed to work with inspiring teaching assistants, peer mentors, students, and colleagues. I also live in a remarkable place, encircled by kindhearted people. My gratitude to Vanessa Miller for yet another reminder:
The Life Design fall initiative was called Grants for the Greater Good, and on November 28th we invested in the nonprofit and student organizations our students are involved in and care about. As a result, not only did the University of Iowa Dance Marathon, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Rotaract, The Women’s Network, Iowa Women’s Ice Hockey Club, & Rally for Reid Foundation each receive $1,000 to further their work, but eight students were given a $300 honorarium surprise to continue making a difference too. It was a beautiful night indeed.
Led by these student examples, the biggest takeaway of all was the agency we all hold to make our small corner of the world a bit better.
With gratitude to the Life Design Peer Mentors & students, Don Parsons, James Tutson, Samantha Mayer, Wave Cage, Peter Aguero, The James Theater, Mark Nolte, Leslie Nolte, Grace Merritt, and the University of Iowa Honors Program.
In memory of Donna Parsons, beloved University of Iowa Lecturer.
Photos by David Greedy
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Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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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.
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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.