Meet the PROS: Alex Schroller (He/Him)

In celebration of Pride month, our PROS are sharing the importance of inclusion and belonging. ✨

Meet Alex Schroller, Technical Trainer I at PROS, a former teacher, dog dad and the ultimate trivia teammate. When he’s not creating targeted, right-sized training assets for our customers, you’ll find him busy hosting a party, completing crossword puzzles or consuming enchiladas.

Alex talks more about his passion for people and the importance of inclusion and allyship.

Let’s get to know Alex!

Tell us about your journey to PROS.

My journey to PROS is definitely a circuitous one, but for most of my pre-PROS career I was a high school social studies teacher (who also coached a bit of soccer on the side). The faculties of a good teacher are ones I get to practice every day at PROS: empathy, creativity, encouragement, patience, facilitation and a generous dash of bonhomie.

What’s your favorite thing about working in your current role?

I get to work with an awesome and supportive group of people every day. When I work with customers, I get the satisfaction of knowing that I’m helping them somehow. I get to help put on events and programs that further the career development of young professionals and promote the inclusion and belonging of all people at PROS.

Tell us about a cool project you are working on.

I’m getting the opportunity to accelerate customer adoption and time-to-value even more through our shift to “right now, right role, right-sized” training. Our customers want to learn the parts of the platform that are appropriate for them as expeditiously as possible, and we are delivering innovative training that complements their needs. Additionally, I’ve had the tremendous privilege to serve on the committees of YoPROS and PRIDE and collaborate with some really great folks to advance the missions of both organizations, helping to put on career development programs and make PROS an affirming workplace for everyone.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work that brings you joy and inspiration? 

Learning just about anything – whether it’s from a book, a stranger, or a documentary. Sharing that curiosity with the people I meet and learning about them never fails to build bonhomie and break down whatever barriers have been constructed before we met. We all occupy the same tiny rock that’s orbiting at 67,000 miles per hour, around one of approximately 100 billion stars in our galaxy, of which there are estimated to be 100-200 billion in the observable universe. We’re small; life is short; spread a little cheer.

Why is PRIDE at PROS important to you?

An ERG like PRIDE can serve both as a gathering place for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and as an institutional mechanism for others to learn how they can help build a more welcoming and inclusive workplace. Rarely is any space welcome to all people right from the start. It often takes concerted effort to broaden who can feel included. Each time we make a space welcoming for someone, we are participating in the long-term work of making it more of an inclusive haven for everyone.

For me, being an ally is rooted in listening first, practicing empathy, and then turning that empathy and what you’ve learned into action so that it may reverberated positively beyond just you.

What have you discovered about yourself by being a member and leader of PRIDE? 

If I have learned anything in this process, it’s that this isn’t a one-day-and-it’s-done sort of thing; you keep showing up proactively, in ways big and small, and you can bring people with you.

Every day I wear two bracelets: one says BLACK LIVES MATTER, and the other is the colors of the trans pride flag. This is my small way of letting folks who may feel connected to those communities know that I see them and support them. It’s not showy; it doesn’t cost anything, but it may mean a lot to someone or allow them to feel more at ease in the space we both occupy. And when someone asks, “Hey, what does that one mean?” I can share with them why I think it’s important to reflect on the ways that we can support our LGBTQIA+ brethren.

In what ways can allies better support LGBTQIA+ colleagues in the workplace?

Listen to learn. Be prepared to shed or revise preconceived notions. Let people tell you who they are—they’re the best historians of their own lives. Reflect on the media and storytelling you consume: how much of it includes or centers LGBTQIA+ perspectives and characters? Support public policy that makes the lives of your queer colleagues easier.

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Learn more about PROS culture on our careers page and become a part of our growing team by applying to our open roles. Follow #LifeatPROS on LinkedIn and Instagram for more stories from the bright minds powering PROS around the globe.