Energizing Utilities with Operations Research: Feat. Kathryn Walter

Mining Your Own Business Podcast

In this episode you’ll meet Kathryn Walter, a senior operations research analyst at Avista Corporation. Kathryn shares an inside look at how operations research is making an impact at this utilities company based in Spokane, Washington.

Tune in as our host Evan Wimpey chats with Kathryn about how she got into the field and how her team has used operations research to make informed and cost-saving decisions. With a dash of humor and tips to drive organizational change, you won’t want to miss this episode!
Key Takeaways:
🔔 How operations research is being used to guide decisions at Avista Corporation
🔔 How the field of operations research has evolved over time
🔔 The applications of operations research in different industries
🔔 Ways to approach moving toward data-driven change at an organization
Quotes:
💬 “I feel like one of the beauties of operations research is that it’s so industry neutral. You can apply it anywhere.”
💬 “People are eager to make things better … So if it’s easier and it's also helping, people are going to embrace it.”
Featured in this episode:
Kathryn Walter, Senior Operations Research Analyst, Avista Corporation
Kathryn Walter is a senior operations research analyst who works on mathematical models supporting better decision making at Avista Corporation, a utilities company in Spokane, Washington. She is a former optimization consultant, a former military officer, and a holder of Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in operations research. She is a Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) and currently serves on the Analytics Certification Board and on the INFORMS Board of Directors.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathrynwalter
Evan Wimpey , Director of Analytics Strategy at Elder Research
Company website: elderresearch.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/evan-wimpey
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Kathryn’s background and how she got into operations research
02:30 Discovering the impact of optimization and building an effective model
04:06 Investigating and refining the model
05:31 The evolution of the field of operations research
08:38 The benefits and flexibility of operations research skills across industries
10:57 A willingness to change the way things are done
12:56 Approaching challenges in change management
15:47 The growth of data science at Avista
18:17 Factors to think about when building an operations research team
21:46 Looking to the future of operations research at Avista
24:56 Sharing some math humor

Find more show notes, transcripts, & more episodes at:
https://www.elderresearch.com/resource/podcasts/