Splunker Stories: Kevin Clukey Jr.

In our latest edition of our "Splunker Stories" series, we meet with one of Splunk’s Professional Services Consultants, Kevin Clukey Jr.

We sat down with KC to learn more about the path which led him to Splunk, how he brings his experience in the Army to his work here, how Splunk has become a family business. 

What did you do prior to joining Splunk and how did you end up at Splunk? 
I was an Infantry Officer in the Army, and first learned about Splunk during an internship at a government agency prior to going active duty. Splunk’s products and services are so impressive that I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of this company someday. A few years passed and my father, Kevin Clukey Sr works at Splunk (yes we get each other’s emails constantly. Thanks for the name Dad!) As I was transitioning out of the Army, Dad told me that Splunk is a partner of the Department of Defence SkillsBridge program. After the approval of my unit and interviews with some amazing Splunkers, I accepted an internship in the Customer Success Organization as a Professional Services Consultant which then led to full time employment. 

Tell us about your story. What experiences made you who you are today? 
My time in the Army really shaped who I am today. The people I had the opportunity to meet and learn from taught me lessons that will stick with me forever. I’ve learned that everyone is unique and has their own story and experiences. It’s when we surround ourselves with others who do not think or look like us, we become a better version of ourselves and can work together to make the organization as a whole better. 

I have seen the youngest and most inexperienced people make the biggest contributions, I’ve  learned first hand that everyone can contribute if given the chance, and I am always working to be a better person and leader. 

How have your unique experiences and insights made you successful in your career, and at Splunk? 
The Army provided me the opportunity to be in leadership positions, which allowed me to fail, learn and grow. Every day I learned that listening with an intent to truly understand will net you much greater results. I learned leadership is not “a one size fits all” methodology, and an empathetic leader who cares for people will make a lasting impact. 

I learned a true measure of impact is how successful a team can be when the leader may not be around or have left the organization altogether. 

All these insights have translated to my working here at Splunk by listening to our customers' needs and accelerating the time to value. I strive to leave a lasting impact so customers can realize the full benefits of Splunk well after I am off the engagement. 

What do you enjoy about working at Splunk? 

The endless opportunities and people! 

The folks who work at Splunk are some of the smartest in the world, and each day I learn something new. Splunk offers so many opportunities for upskilling and career advancement. I am a mentee in the Career Mentorship Program and it has already produced results and guidance in my career. 

I believe in lifelong education and Splunk wholeheartedly supports that.

Which Splunk Value (Innovative, Fun, Disruptive, Open, Passionate) resonates most with you? 
Innovative and disruptive! With Splunk’s mission and vision, we can accelerate change and progress with innovation. We can disrupt the status quo with finding better and new ways to do things. Everything is always being improved and evolved. 

Splunkers are never idle; we are always looking for better and new ways to break down barriers and accelerate progress. We are always finding new ways to do things and improve our already world class products.

We know businesses are leading drivers of change, and Splunk is at the forefront of sheparing the world into this new Data Age. This is what I love about Splunk.

Splunk's vision is "A world where data provides clarity, elevates discussion and accelerates progress." How does your work contribute to this?
It’s estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes (2.5 followed by 18 zeros) of data is generated every day. That is a lot of data to make sense of! 

Every day, my team and I help customers identify insights and value from their data. Splunk provides clarity into the data for companies to gain answers they didn’t even know to ask for at a glance awareness to make informed decisions. 

Splunk's mission is to "remove the barriers between data and action, so that everyone thrives in the Data Age." What does this mean to you? 
My goal is to help everyone bring data to every decision and action. 

Splunk products identify bias or patterns in our data, and we can then quickly tear down those barriers and move to action based solutions.  

What can we find you doing outside of work? Hobbies or interests? 
I enjoy spending time with my family and woodworking. I am no carpenter, but I enjoy making functional furniture. 

As for my family, they are the most important thing in my life. My family is where I derive my strength and passion to be the best person I can possibly be. They have been with me through it all and I cherish every day I have with my wife and son.  

Anything else that you'd like to share that you haven't already? 
I encourage every transitioning service member to look into the Department of Defence SkillsBridge Program. This is a great opportunity to gain serious industry skills that can help you land a job and make the transition go smoothly. The Army prepped me with the soft skills to succeed but being in the infantry did not equip me with hard technical skills I needed. During my internship I was able to achieve four Splunk industry recognized certifications. This led me to be an extremely competitive candidate for full time employment not just at Splunk but with other employers as well. Every service member can take control of their future and rapidly upgrade skills in the SkillsBridge program.  

If you would like to learn more about life at Splunk, or about our open Splunk Sales career opportunities, please visit the Splunk Careers page. 

----------------------------------------------------
Thanks!
Shreya Iyer