Veterans Month Celonaut Spotlight: Eli Clizbe and Kate Crush | How Military Values Drive Innovation at Celonis

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For Army veteran Eli Clizbe and Navy spouse Kate Crush, the values of military life continue to guide their professional journeys. Challenges are opportunities and purpose is transformed into impact. This Veterans and Military Families Month, we’re honored to share how these two Celonauts draw on their backgrounds to drive innovation, empathy, and resilience at Celonis.

Connection and Reflection

To Eli Clizbe, Consultant in Raleigh, Veterans Month means more than recognition; it’s a time for reconnection. “Military & Families Appreciation Month is a time where I check in with other fellow veterans that I haven’t connected with in a while, to ensure they are doing well holistically,” Eli explains.

He reflects on how cultures differ in honoring veterans: “Veterans’ Day seems much more celebratory while Remembrance Day is more somber. However, we all understand that these days reflect the importance of veterans and the values they embody, like courage, honor, and personal sacrifice.”

Eli's journey in tech has been powered by resilience and adaptability. In his role as a consultant, he draws on “resilience, attention to detail, and a willingness to go through tedious tasks.” He recognizes that these qualities, honed during his service, have been tremendously beneficial in troubleshooting cases and navigating complex data models.

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Empathy and Adaptability from the Navy Family Life

For Kate Crush, Lead Value Engineer in USA, Veterans Month serves as a reminder of the unique experiences military families face. “Recognition of this month is the first step toward empathy, and empathy is the path toward reasonable accommodations.”

Kate highlights the challenges military families endure, noting that “the military spouse unemployment rate is somewhere between 20 and 25%,” largely due to frequent relocations that disrupt career continuity.

Kate believes that these experiences equip veterans and military spouses with exceptional strengths, from problem-solving to emotional resilience. “The military regularly thrusts its members into situations that non-military may only experience once or twice in a lifetime,” she shares. These qualities make veterans and military spouses valuable assets in any workplace.

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Kate Crush

“Military spouses become ruthlessly efficient when balancing work deliverables with independently managing a household.”

Transforming Skills from Service to Tech

Eli’s structured approach allows him to dive deep into complex data models and find solutions quickly. “Growing in these skills has been a tremendous benefit to my role, specifically in troubleshooting cases or coming into an engagement mid-stride,” he says.

For Kate, balancing her own career with the demands of Navy life taught her the importance of strategic career planning. “Be strategic. Consider every opportunity that you and your spouse have collectively. Think of your career as a checklist, not a path." Kate further highlights the importance of collaboration and compromise with your partner, "My husband loves the Navy but spent two years in the Reserves to allow me to take a career opportunity that was in our collective interests. When an opportunity to return to active duty presented itself, he took that too."

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Advice for Veterans Entering Tech

Eli’s Tip: “My advice for any veteran transitioning into a civilian career in tech is to shift your mindset from being task-focused to project-focused. Honing your project management skills will ensure you succeed in growing your team and achieving project goals."
Kate’s Tip: “Don’t make career decisions based on a glamorized image of the private sector. If the federal government were the only organization with inefficient processes, we wouldn’t have so many customers,” she cautions, encouraging veterans to approach their career transitions with clear, strategic goals.

At Celonis, we are proud to support our Veterans@Celonis Business Resource Group (BRG). The BRG fosters a strong community for Celonauts with military connections, including veterans, reservists, families, and allies. Through events like local office gatherings and virtual celebrations, the group creates a space for veterans to share their unique perspectives and experiences.

Veterans Month is a time to honor service and celebrate the unique contributions veterans and military families make in the workplace. Eli and Kate's reflections remind us of the strength, adaptability, and strategic thinking that veterans bring to the Celonis team, driving impact and building a more resilient future for all.

👩‍🚀 Eli joined Celonis in September 2022 as an Associate Technical Consultant in the North America CoE in the Raleigh, NC office. Previously, he served five years in the US Army as an infantryman with two combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked in the firearms industry doing sales, product development and compliance before completing an MBA and MS in Business Analytics from the College of William and Mary before joining Celonis. In his free time he enjoys tabletop games.

👩‍🚀Kate Crush has been a Lead Value Engineer at Celonis since 2020, where she’s juggled the roles of leader, mom, and Navy spouse. With experience at General Dynamics Electric Boat and C&S Wholesale Grocers, she brings a mix of technical and business know-how. Kate has degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management, giving her both the big-picture vision and hands-on insight she needs. Passionate about inclusivity, she’s dedicated to making workplaces more supportive for women and mothers, working to ease the way for others following similar paths.

Mimi Fraser-Andrews

Mimi Fraser-Andrews is a Talent Acquisition Marketing intern at Celonis. Based in London she completed her degree in Anthropology from the University of Bristol in 2022. Passionate about storytelling and showcasing the vibrant culture at Celonis, Mimi collaborates with employees to celebrate their successes, explore their daily experiences, and capture what it’s like to be part of Team Celonis.

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Mimi Fraser-Andrews