COE Member Spotlight: Colleen Kennedy
This month, COE places the spotlight on Colleen Kennedy, COE Education & Training PIC chair.
 COE HQ: How long have you been a member of COE?
CK: Krebs Engineers joined COE in late 1999. Strangely, we were the first U.S. customer of V5 and SmarTeam together. We had maybe eight CATIA users at that time and 18 full-time users today. This is a big expansion for us. I was told there was an opening to go to the COE annual conference in 2000 and I would be speaking with my co-workers about Krebs. It turned out to be a general session presentation on the first day! It was a bit overwhelming for a first-time conference experience.
COE HQ: What is the biggest benefit to being a member of this organization?
CK: Even though we are a “small” company, COE gives all members equal access to the benefits of the development planning council, Website conferences, user forums and the essential information modern companies need.
COE HQ Was there ever a specific problem that occurred at your job that you were able to utilize COE members to solve?
CK: We’ve had many ups and downs since starting with CATIA V5 R2 and SmarTeam in September 1999. We’ll be rebuilding our SmarTeam database soon and have made ample use of the third party I.S. support companies.
COE HQ: Describe your involvement with COE and any words of advice you would give to other members who are not currently active.
CK: I went to that first conference in 2000 after using V5 for less then a year. I used the Website a little and communicated with some friends I made in St. Louis. It was after becoming a more experienced user that I felt I had anything to offer. My first independent breakout session was in 2003. I met so many people who were interested in what I had to say on the early drawing standards xml file at the Seattle conference. Because Krebs is a smaller organization, we have to solve a lot of problems without a big infrastructure. COE, as an organization, has equal opportunities for any size member company. You can choose what kind of role you wish to play as a member. This year I’m beginning a new role as the division manager for training and education. I’m looking forward to all the new ideas other users have for this too.
COE HQ: Can you give insight into how the Discussion Forums community can benefit all Dassault Systèmes users.
CK: I always hear that developers do not get to meet a lot of average users. The Discussion Forum shows the whole spectrum from beginners to the most advanced users. We have a great ability to quickly focus on specific topics to be resolved and to clarify answers for everyone.
COE HQ: The COE 2008 Annual PLM Conference & TechniFair is right around the corner. What do you most enjoy and look forward to at each year’s conference?
CK: The annual conference reminds me what I like about work so much. It is a challenge both intellectually and personally. The intensity of the topics discussed and getting to meet so many like-minded people are my favorite parts.
COE HQ: As a committed member of this association, what aspects of COE would you like to see grow in the near future?
CK: There should be a more transparent approach to the development planning councils outside of the single working group and strategy group meetings each year. I think there would be more interest through out the year if we could tell what was happening in these areas.
Many professional groups help aid local schools and colleges to develop future engineers and designers. I’d like to see some avenue for those members who want to take part in mentoring or promoting engineering in some way.
COE HQ: Based on the current status of the marketplace, where do you think COE should focus its energy and resources in the next few years?
CK: I really like the move towards “COE year-round” with activities and events throughout the whole year. I believe there is a growing demand for more content such as streaming video from the annual conferences and regional user groups (RUGs). Fostering an environment where normal users can create and share content will help COE stay relevant. Eventually I would like to see regional micro-conferences where all users present and get experience as speakers themselves.
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