Discuss Employee Spotlight – Kelly

The “Discuss Employee Spotlight” is a Q&A series dedicated to showcasing all of the amazing talent at Discuss.

For this month’s profile, we talked with Kelly Kendziorski, Senior Product Manager, who joined the Discuss team in January of 2023 and is based in Portland, Oregon.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about your role at Discuss.

I am a Senior Product Manager. In my role, I get to know our customers’ problems deeply and collaborate with our design and engineering teams to help craft innovative solutions. 

2. Which of Discuss’ core values are you most inspired by? (Empathize, Collaborate, Obsess, Out Innovate, Excel)

I am most inspired by Out Innovate. We’re in a really exciting time with new AI tools that unlock new solutions to problems. I love seeing all the new tools available and figuring out how we can put them together to deliver something new that unlocks experiences that weren’t possible a few years ago.  That said, Empathy is a critical part of innovation. It’s necessary to deeply understand a problem before you can start to put the pieces together and find solutions that meet our users’ needs. 

3. Tell us about your mindset and approach in your role.

I approach my role with curiosity and creativity.  I have a background in ethnography and documentary filmmaking, so I’m always looking for the small details that create a bigger picture. I am energized by the challenge of sifting through large amounts of unstructured data to find a compelling story or insight. Even when my work is focused on complex technical challenges, I stay grounded in the work of empowering our users to find the human story they need to tell with their research projects. 

4. What project or initiative are you most proud of at Discuss?

I’m most proud of our AI Interview Agent. While working on the tool, I had some great conversations with our research experts and partners who were skeptical that AI could ask good questions. I have since seen those users be pleasantly surprised at the quality of our AI interviews and launch multiple projects with the tool. 

5. What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that few people know about?

When I’m not working, I like to spend time hiking and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest. Longer trails I’ve completed in the last two years include the Timberline Trail (~40 miles – around Mt Hood), the Loowit Trail (~30 miles –  around Mt. St. Helens) and the Enchantments Traverse (~20 miles in Washington). I also take my two kids on short backpacking trips to lakes and streams in the area.