Liz Vaggelatos recently celebrated four years at Upside — and was just promoted to Director of Knowledge Management! 

She’s responsible for the important task of making sure Upsiders have all the tools, resources, and information they need to achieve their mission.

Upside: What brought you to Upside? 

Liz: I wasn’t actually looking for a new role when a recruiter approached me about a lead Knowledge Management role at Upside. I honestly went through the process hoping to dislike Upside, the role, the team, etc. 

However, that was quickly challenged by everyone I met during the recruiting process. I was blown away by the team’s intelligence, creativity, and passion. 

I could see a future where I could have an impact from the get-go, and I didn’t want to pass that up!

Upside: What’s the day-to-day of your role like?

Liz: The Knowledge Management team is focused on ensuring that our employees can easily find the relevant information they need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. On any given day, I’m looking at the accessibility of our knowledge and how our employees interact with our collaboration tools and content. 

That may include reviewing our content logs to determine what employees are searching for, identifying content that needs to be created, updated or archived, and looking at overall knowledge sharing engagement. 

Upside: What are the most important skills for your role/profession? 

Liz: Adaptability and curiosity are the skills that I lean on the most in my current position. Most companies are like teenagers. Different parts grow and evolve at different rates. What works for one department isn’t going to necessarily work for another. Knowledge Managers have to be able to quickly adapt their strategies to fit the needs of the organization they serve.  

We also need to be professionally curious. Knowledge Managers are a triage point within an organization. We need to have a good understanding of the people, processes, and technology and be able to adjust strategies to meet the evolving needs of the organization. 

Upside: Who are some of your biggest inspirations within the company? 

Liz:

‍The women at Upside are among the most inspiring and empowering individuals I’ve had the privilege to work with. 

I’m continually impressed by the intelligence and authenticity they bring every day. We all have lives that extend beyond the work hours, but we continue to show up and support each other. 

Upside: What are your hobbies outside of work? 

Liz: Does sleeping count? Ha! I’m an avid swimmer, pickleball player, and reader. I’m almost always reading 2-3 books at a time on my e-reader. I just finished Onyx Storm (iykyk) and am trying to find something new to fill the void. 

Upside: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why? 

Liz: Staying at the Ice Hotel in Sweden is at the top of my list. I’d love to spend a couple weeks in the cold and snow watching the northern lights dance overhead. A very close second would be a storm chaser tour to see tornados. I’m a huge weather nerd!