Meet the Grafana Labs Team: Kelly Pasztor, director of learning and development
As Grafana Labs continues to grow, we’d like you to get to know the team members who are working behind the scenes on the cool stuff you’re using.
Meet Kelly!
Name: Kelly Pasztor
What do you do at Grafana Labs?
I’m the Director of Learning and Development on the People Ops team here at Grafana Labs. I was hired at a pivotal point in our growth to build out the learning and development function as we scale. I like to think of my role as caring about people and potential. My goal is to provide a robust menu of opportunities so that every Grafanista can grow and thrive here. This includes our strategy and plans for learning and development, from the initial onboarding experience through ongoing opportunities like mentoring, coaching, training courses, people manager development, and leadership development.
Why did you join Grafana Labs?
I decided to join the team for a few reasons. I loved the idea of being able to work again at a growing organization and see the impact of my work quickly. I loved the idea of spending all of my time in work that I’m passionate about. I loved the opportunity to be creative as I build out the L&D function. And finally, I fell in love with the people and the culture at Grafana Labs.
“My goal is to provide a robust menu of opportunities so that every Grafanista can grow and thrive here.”
Where is home for you?
Madison, Wisconsin, USA (Central time)
What’s a project you’re proud to have worked on at Grafana Labs?
My first project at Grafana Labs was collaborating with our VP of Culture Matt Toback to develop a series of internal “shortcasts” (podcasts that are 10 min. or less) that feature Grafanistas discussing our leadership principles in order to help everyone within the company understand and embrace our culture better. From the day I walked through the virtual door, I knew that we had something special going on with our culture so the shortcasts project was our first step in teaching our values to others by sharing different perspectives of the organization.
This also served as a part of my second project: curating a Leadership Development curriculum that is self-directed and open to all Grafanistas. The program includes books, articles, podcasts, videos, etc. that will help people grow and polish the leadership skills that are important to us here at Grafana.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to spend time with my 6.5-year-old daughter, my 2.5-year-old son, and my husband. We like to hike, visit parks, and go to the local farmers market, art fairs, and festivals (though most of these are when it’s warmer out). We love traveling although we haven’t gotten to do much of that these past couple years.
I also love Zumba, working out, good conversations over wine or tea, movies and tv, yoga, board games, painting, making jewelry, reading, and my passion is coaching — executive coaching, professional development coaching, and life coaching. I work on coaching clients some evenings and weekends.
What’s your favorite new app that you can’t live without?
Blinkist. It’s an app that summarizes books in “blinks” that you can either listen to or read. Think of it as an app-based Cliff’s Notes. I use it a lot to preview non-fiction books or as a reference for books I liked but can’t remember anymore. The last book I looked up on Blinkist was one I read back in grad school called Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I remembered liking it and wanted to listen to it again on my way to pick up the kids.
What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
Visiting Sedona and hiking at each of the vortex sites. My next goal is to visit Greece.
What else have you checked off your bucket list?
Some of the craziest things I’ve done from my bucket list include bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand, skydiving just outside of Las Vegas, and cage diving with great white sharks off the southern coast of Australia. But
my favorite thing from my bucket list was visiting the Galapagos Islands.
So when you’re not on a far-flung adventure, what’s your best WFH tip?
If you don’t have some sort of ritual to end your work day (like picking up kids from daycare), I highly recommend implementing a “virtual commute” where you shut off your computer and then listen to music, audiobooks, or a podcast for 15-20 min either on a walk, in a comfy spot at home, or just driving around. This will help you transition out of work mode and into personal time.
Please share three memes that best showcase your personality
(Except I would have caffeine water called Water Joe because I don’t drink coffee!)
Learn more about the Grafana Labs team and our remote-first culture, and find out how you can become an official Grafanista by visiting our careers page.
