Rachel Braunstein
I sat on the sidelines of AACoS for close to a year, watching Clara's LI presence grow and attending some free workshops here and there. When I finally took the leap to join as a member, I regretted not doing it sooner! The AACoS community has been inspirational, educational, and validating. I've learned so much from other member, workshops and coaching, and have built confidence in my own abilities. All in all, very happy I decided to jump both feet in!
Ana Cid Centeno
The Ask a Chief of Staff's beauty as a Community is having created a space where a diverse group of people not just arrive, but stay and contribute! Supporting and celebrating each other on our professional and personal journeys and transformations is unmatched. Thank you Clara, Nia & team!
Ka Lynn Robinson
The Ask a Chief of Staff Community is so valuable! I find all the resources and content valuable as well. The community is responsive and intelligent! I spend a lot of money on professional development and this is the first time I found something as highly valuable as this group.
Claire Podulka
Ask a Chief of Staff is such a supportive community! Chief of Staff can be a lonely role, but Clara has curated an incredible group of people who share resources, advice, and support. It is a go-to resource for me!
Chloe Tambe
Ask a Chief of Staff has been a valuable resource for me, providing access to a large network of Chiefs of Staff, insightful discussions in the Slack channels, and thoughtfully curated events. The topics discussed are both engaging and relevant, offering opportunities to learn and grow in my role. Through this community, I’ve also built meaningful 1:1 connections with others in my field, making it a helpful part of my professional development.
Sarah Sheikh
Being a Chief of Staff in a small startup can feel like a team-of-one challenge, but this Slack community has been an invaluable resource where I’ve connected with other Chiefs of Staff from around the world, shared insights, and bounced ideas off people who truly understand the role. Whether it’s strategic planning, problem-solving, or just getting a fresh perspective, the collective knowledge here is incredible. Thanks to Clara , Nia and the whole team for everything that you do.
Gloria Keane
Clara and her team have fostered a truly supportive environment. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with others and thoroughly explore our roles, opportunities, and challenges.
Justin Franklin
There's so much value in this community, between the best practice sharing, webinars, resource hub, and job postings. After working remotely for 6 years, this is just the community I needed. It's been an incredible experience, and I've had more relevant coffee chats and referrals within the past few months than the previous calendar year. Best of all, the community members are extremely helpful, and it genuinely feels like we want each other to succeed. Huge thanks to Clara and her team.
Elizabeth Cribb
From the first consultation to the final placement, their team was professional, attentive, and deeply knowledgeable about the CoS position regardless of industry. They took the time to understand our company's unique culture and specific requirements, which led to finding the perfect candidates for our open position.
The recruitment process was seamless; they provided a curated list of candidates who not only had the right skills but also fit well with our team. Communication was excellent throughout, and they were always available to address any questions or concerns.
Thanks to Ask A Chief of Staff (specifically Clara and Kelly!), our hiring timeline was significantly reduced, and we’ve found a wonderful new team member.
Kelly Davis-Stoudt
Ask a Chief of Staff is hands down your go-to resource for finding the perfect Chief of Staff fit. They sourced us high quality candidates (several) with speed and we found the perfect fit for our organization. Highly recommend.
Jolie Chan
Being a CoS can be immensely fulfilling but lonely at times, and Ask a Chief of Staff is the trusted co-pilot you need in your corner! Clara is a kind, phenomenal leader and community builder who understands the joys, opportunities, and challenges of this dynamic role, and she and her team have cultivated a vibrant community that provides direct support and a suite of resources to navigate every stage of the CoS journey and beyond. Grateful to the Ask a Chief of Staff team for creating spaces where we can be fully seen and lift each other up.
Pamela Lee
Clara helped connect me with a wonderful candidate as I was supporting my previous organization in finding their next Chief of Staff. This has been an endeavor that's really special to me since I previously held that role and care deeply about setting up my previous team for success. The team is so excited about our new hire! thank you, Clara :)
Jonathan Smith
If you're looking for a chief of staff (or just want to know more about the role), Clara is the expert. When I was asked to help another company in our lead investor's venture portfolio source a chief of staff, I exhausted my personal network pretty quickly. Luckily, almost everyone I reached out to for help recommended the same person: Clara. I reached out not knowing what to expect, and I'm so glad I did! Clara helped me refine the job post, source fantastic candidates, and even continued to support all the candidates throughout the interview process. Clara is the best!
Wendy Feliz
I'm immensely thankful for the Ask a Chief of Staff Community, a sanctuary of support and growth. Huge appreciation for Clara Ma for her visionary leadership that brought us together. During my burnout struggles, Clara's kindness helped me find solace and belonging. Now thriving, I cherish this community's shared wisdom in conquering challenges and safeguarding our well-being.
Brennan Stark
Clara and her team did a great job helping us to find our COO. They sent us high quality candidates, adjusted based on our feedback, and handled the communications we didn’t want to own internally. I’d gladly work with them again.
Chayanne Aranda
Ask a Chief of Staff has given a voice to an area of work that is typically siloed and being one of one is not easy. Thanks for creating a space where we can hear from and see each other.
Samantha Kanak
Ask a Chief of Staff is a tool I never knew I needed and now I can’t imagine my day without.
Having a like minded individuals so willing to share, collaborate, lend a hand to and just network with has been amazing. On top of the network, the tools, workshops and opportunities presented within the community are beyond beneficial.
Sibi Murugesan
The Ask a Chief of Staff community is fantastic and it's all thanks to the brilliant leadership and insights offered by Clara Ma (she's pretty modest so I'm more than happy to brag on her behalf).
Clara has built a vibrant ecosystem of real "doers" which is refreshing and empowering. The programming is timely and centered on the real needs of CoSs in the field.
Highly recommend it to all current, future, and past CoSs!
John Quayle
Ask a Chief of Staff is a welcoming and supportive community that provides an exceptional network of peers and a diverse range of educational resources. Whether you're just starting as a CoS or on your third assignment, it's a community that remains a reliable anchor, offering guidance for your toughest challenges and the potential to uncover career-transforming industry insights.
Clara and her team have done an incredible job creating this community and it is my go-to resource for continuously elevating my knowledge as a Chief of Staff.
Michele Freeman
I’ve loved being a part of the Ask a CoS community. It is helpful to learn from the other members and see where I need to grow professionally. I also appreciate the resources and connections Clara provides to help us all succeed!
Kristy McDonough
What I like most about the Ask a Chief of Staff community are the resources and team available, all of which support me in my desire to up-level my career. The caliber of the workshops, as well as my peers in the program, have been more than impressive. I felt the value in joining nearly immediately.
Katie Larabee
Ask a Chief of Staff is a phenomenal source of truth for breaking down obstacles we face daily, while also a resource to help level up our skillset. Founded by Clara Ma, she delivers clear, concise, and hugely beneficial knowledge in her work. Her work is clear, engaging, and always well thought out. Clara is consistent, impeccable, and always positive, whether it be Ask a Chief of Staff, a slack thread, or matchmaking CoS with great companies.
Paige Honeycomb
Ask a Chief of Staff is my go-to-place to be surrounded by other current, aspiring, and former CoS's. Clara has built an amazing community of likeminded professionals who support and build each other up. She has built both a virtual and in-person community across the nation, and it is truly the best group to be a part of if you would like help navigating the sometimes lonely and ambiguous role of CoS.
10/10 Would Recommend working with her if you are looking to recruit or train a new Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant, or other Business Operations professional. Clara was very helpful in our recent search for a Chief of Staff, and incredibly generous to open up her network to us. She has extraordinary subject-matter expertise and probably the strongest CoS network of anyone I know. She also runs a number of programs to train Chiefs of Staff, which would be a great offering when you do hire someone to help them get up to speed and remain current on best practices.
Through the incredible luck of the algorithm, my LinkedIn feed brought Clara's Chief of Staff content to me. At the time, I had not thought about the role as being something outside of government or tech, but Clara's engaging posts helped me realize and uncover my strengths as a generalist and truly changed the course of my career.
On top of creating an engaged community around the CoS role with useful, relatable content, Clara has built an incredible network. If you are a Chief of Staff, are thinking about becoming one, or thinking about hiring one, I recommend connecting with Clara and signing up for her Ask a Chief of Staff newsletter.
Clara is an absolute pleasure to work with! She helped me through the process of hiring a Chief of Staff with expertise and wisdom. It is tremendous having someone like this on your side during such a crazy and important time. Her specialized and enthusiastic support for such a complex and important role is essential! Highly recommend working with Clara to those looking for a Chief of Staff!
Clara helped me find a Chief of Staff role at a super exciting company. She is extremely thoughtful, dedicated, and efficient - easily one of the best recruiters I've had the chance to interact with!
She gave great advice throughout the process and in particular during the offer negotiation phase. Can't recommend her enough!
Clara has both skill and passion for connecting executives with Chief of Staff talent and I highly recommend her services to either side. She is a relationship builder, thought leader, and overall joy to work with - I'm excited to continue following her success!
Clara was incredibly helpful throughout the job search process, sending me qualified opportunities. I can't recommend her enough for anyone interested in Chief of Staff opportunities.
Clara is extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, and personable. She supported me during my search and was one of the best recruiters I’ve ever worked with.
She spent time to learn about my background, interests, and experiences to identify opportunities that aligned with my career progression. Clara utilized a very thoughtful approach…
I highly recommend COS seekers to utilize Clara’s services and expertise for placement / hiring needs.