Community Hero Colleen Whelan

“The community has helped me connect with a broader network of peers in the higher education and nonprofit domain. It’s a great forum for new ideas, lessons learned, feedback, and inspiration.”
– Colleen Whelan

We are celebrating the one year anniversary of the Power of Us HUB by recognizing 30 community members who have been instrumental in supporting the growing community of nonprofit and higher ed Salesforce users.

Today’s community hero is Colleen Whelan (@ColleenAWhelan), Director of Client Engagement at Yale University. Colleen serves on the Foundation’s Higher Education Customer Advisory Council, represents Yale University on salesforce.com’s Chatter Communities Product Advisory Board, and has shared her success in Foundation webinars and sessions at Dreamforce and the Higher Education Summit.

The Higher Education Summit is an annual event that brings together hundreds of Salesforce users from higher education institutions to collaborate and learn from one another. We can honestly say that the Summit would not exist without Colleen as it was a mini-summit that she organized at Yale University a few years ago that inspired the Foundation to invest in bringing our higher education customers and prospects together every year. Colleen is also a top contributor to the higher education group in the Power of Us HUB and is always quick to serve up her experience for the benefit of others. We are grateful to Colleen for all she has done to support the higher ed community using Salesforce!

Who are you (in 250 words or less)?

“I’ve been working in higher education for the last ten years – collaborating with central IT and departmental colleagues to achieve institutional goals related to alumni relations, engaging the campus community, outreach, and administration through the use of technology. Prior to working in academia, I was a project manager at an interactive services firm and worked at the Federal Reserve in HR/Benefits, marketing/communications, and operations roles. When not at the office, I’m likely spending time with family & friends, taking in some live music, riding my bike by the beach, or trying a new recipe.”

How long have you been working with Salesforce products?

“Since 2010.”

What quick tip would you give someone getting started with Salesforce?

“Invest ample time in policy and process definition before beginning ‘clicks’ (configuration) or code. Develop a solid change management and adoption plan.”

As a thank-you for all Colleen has done for the higher ed community over the last year, the Foundation is donating $250 to a nonprofit of her choosing.

Connect with Colleen in the Power of Us HUB