Blog it Forward – Sue Keohan

I wasn’t blogged forward by anyone, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take the initiative, right?

So I am Sue Keohan, and I am an SAP Workflow Specialist – lucky to have been employed for many years, first at MIT, and then in 2002, I moved to the ‘burbs and now I work at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.  I mostly work with SAP Workflow (in case you did not know this) but I am a developer through and through. 

I grew up in New England, a very lucky girl.  I sailed with my family, I was in 4-H when I fell in love with my sheep, Sally (who died very tragically, but that is another story) and later, I worked 6 years at a stable and learned about horse management, horse-back riding, and showmanship.

I soon learned that I loved foreign languages… I mean LOVED!  I was the only student in my high school to complete four years each of French and German (but that was a long time ago, so don’t test me).  And then I discovered something, way back in the early days of Hollerith Cards, Assembly language coding, and <gasp> COBOL.  I thought that coding was very much like a foreign language.  Because why else would I love coding so much?

Flash Forward:  I joined MIT in 1986 – because I knew COBOL.  Ain’t that a kick?  I also met my #workhusband and later on, my real husband.  I was hired to write general ledger programs in COBOL on a VAX/VMS system. 

When MIT became an SAP customer in 1995, I was chosen to be part of the SAP Team.  We went live in 1996 with some limited functionality, and then rolled out more functionality in 1997.  We rolled out Workflow for Purchase Req Release in 1997, and I thought I had found my niche, within my niche, within my niche.

So it was in 1997 that I became an ASUG volunteer, and formed, with the help of Terry Bramblet, the Workflow Special Interest Group.  We also set up the SAP-WUG mailing list, which lives on to this day.

Over the years, I’ve gained many ASUG friends, and experienced the joy of being a volunteer.  Finding out what topics interested people, finding speakers and encouraging them to speak at ASUG conferences (sometimes even a little arm-twisting) – all these are very satisfying activities.  Then in 2008, I was invited to become an SAP Mentor – perhaps this is the highest compliment I’ve ever been paid, professionally.  In 2009, the great Ginger Gatling asked me to help on the revision to the ‘workflow bible’ (Practical Workflow for SAP, by the truly wonderful team of Alan Rickayzen and Jocelyn Dart).  Ginger assembled a great team or experts, and together we produced the second edition.   Ginger even arranged it so that all author’s proceeds are donated to Doctors Without Borders. 
So my professional life hit yet another peak!

People who follow me on Twitter may know I am the proud mother of #wonderboy (who is going off to college in 11 days) and #harrythe ninja, who is not.  I still sail, and I also tweet (on occasion) for my yellow lab, Sunny – the Warrior Princess (actually, that Twitter ID was taken, so I had to settle for @her_fierceness). 

Through ASUG, and SAP Community Network, and the SAP Mentors Program, and Twitter, I continue to enjoy the company of great people, and always look forward to meeting more. 

In response to an earlier ‘Blog it Forward’ by Greg Myers, I will answer the following questions:

·        What was your dream job as a kid?

                I thought I would become a veterinarian, until I realized it involved blood.  A lot.

·      What is your favorite place in the world?

                There is a beach on Kauai where a natural fountain comes out of the cliffs, so you can enjoy the waves and sand, and then rinse in this pure water.  That, with a mango and perhaps a beverage, and I am a happy camper.

·        What was the most fun project you ever participated in and why? 

               Upgrading to SRM 5 – because it was totally challenging, and I worked my tail off, and the results were great.       

       FFun Fact:  I was once pulled over by the Rhode Island state police because I had a mannequin hanging out the trunk of my car.  They asked me to take off his shoes so he did not look so realistic.  (BTW, his name was Vito)
    

I’d like to Tim Guest and  Amy King.  And I am also Blogging it Forward to Jocelyn Dart and Alan Rickayzen, without whom many of us would be left floundering in the dark. 

You can answer any of the prior #Blogitforward questions – I appreciate knowing anything about you that you feel is worth sharing!