Khoros Employee Spotlights | August

In this series, we put a spotlight on the people who make Khoros so great and... well, Khoros! Learn more about our talented employees — their interests, goals, dreams, and stories — and see if there’s a right fit for you to join the team.

Meet Deb. Deb (@deb_atx on Instagram) is the Director of Business Systems on the Business Operations team at Khoros, where her manager has this to say: “Deb is so attentive to ensuring her internal customers are delighted while also leveraging the rigor of planning to drive success for material projects her and her team tackle.”

When asked what personal experiences she’d like to shed light on, Deb said:

“I’ve always told stories. As a kid I wrote my own books and shared them with my cousins and family and when I was old enough to babysit, I would make up fairy tales featuring the kid(s) I was sitting with. In school I loved English and writing and have journaled off and on throughout my life. I remember the feeling the first time (and the last time) someone told me they liked my story and wanted to publish. About 10 years ago I was looking for an org to do some volunteering. I had done tutoring and had a degree in English so it looked like a good fit. Austin Bat Cave provides free writing programs for kids in underserved communities. I volunteered for a few of their workshops and my then company Mass Relevance supported an event they held with Home Slice as volunteers to set up booths for a carnival. We also supported that event after we merged with Spredfast. I also recruited co-workers to help with a program ABC supported at The Thinkery where we taught resume and cover letter writing and did mock interviews with the program participants. After leading that initiative for a few years in a row, the Executive Director reached out and asked me to join the board which I was happy to do.

For me, the experience of working with Austin Bat Cave culminates each year in the publishing of the anthology, which features writing from every workshop throughout the past year. Every kid has the opportunity to submit one (or more) pieces of writing and we publish it. That moment of pride at receiving the anthology - seeing their work and their name in print - and sharing with their family and if they choose to, with the ABC community at our annual anthology release — this moment is why I do what I do the rest of the year. I am in awe of the creativity of the kids we work with and how they use their work to make sense of their lives. I am proud of the staff and volunteers that come up with our workshops and work with the kids year round. And I love that ABC has become a community of adult writers, authors, volunteers, staff, and board, that believe in the power of a good story and that everyone has a voice and should be heard."

On working at Khoros, Deb shared what her experience has been like:

“Khoros is the first company where I’ve not felt like I had to fix the fact that I’m an introvert and a night-owl to be taken seriously. I’m actively trying to make Khoros an even better “Best Place to Work” by taking on a leadership role with our Khoros Network of Women (KNOW) and in our Khoros Social Responsibility committee where we connect our products and services with non-profits selected for the impact they are making in the world.”

For more stories like Deb's follow #LifeAtKhoros, as we continue to shed light on our employees’ experiences.