Welcome, Walker! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in eastern North Carolina where I spent a lot of time along the coast with my family. I went to college at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, after which I had the exciting opportunity to live abroad, teaching English and US Culture in a small town in France. I subsequently lived and worked for 5 years at the Virginia Episcopal School, in Lynchburg Virginia. My primary role at VES was in fundraising – prior to the pandemic, I spent over 150 days per year traveling nationwide, cultivating and maintaining relationships with a wide array of donors. Additionally, I helped overhaul our marketing and digital fundraising strategies. It was the ultimate learn-by-doing experience, and I’m very excited to bring these skills into my new role at Silverchair.
Describe your role at Silverchair in a nutshell.
At Silverchair, I get to continue with my passion for building relationships as part of the Sales team. A record number of new clients have partnered with Silverchair over the last two years, and we want to be sure we’re able to able to reach all the organizations whose digital strategy we can aid. Adopting our platform can help many publishers, and other organizations, with their mission – and their bottom line. These conversations start long before an RFP and are crucial in determining the best fit in terms of technology, services, and culture.
What are you currently reading?
I really enjoy reading and collecting antique books, and my favorite book is Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe. Currently, however, I’m reading a book called Absurdistan, which is quite different, though I thoroughly recommend it.
What's a Fun Fact About you?
I consider myself a foodie (which is good in a town like Charlottesville, with so many amazing restaurants) and enjoy the outdoors, The Sopranos on HBO, and UNC sports. I’m also not afraid of a road trip – last summer I drove from Virginia to California and back, solo. Most of all, I’m a big music lover, which is another passion Charlottesville makes easy to indulge.
So far I have loved learning about the scholarly publishing industry and where Silverchair’s technology fits into it. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and attending events, but I’d be extremely grateful for some informational interviews with others in the industry to learn more about their biggest challenges, the opportunities they see, and what the current gaps are, to help inform my perspectives.
Open for a chat? Email wswain@silverchair.com to set up a conversation.