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A successful systems engineering career in the U.S. Air Force led Alledra N. Howard to her current work as a basis engineering manager for Chemtura Corp (Middlebury, CT). Her team of five is located in the U.S. and India.
Chemistry is Chemtura’s business. Company products are used in the automotive, construction, consumer, packaging and industrial markets; its agricultural materials increase crop quality and yield worldwide. The company, which has about 5,600 employees, was formed in 2005 from the merger of Crompton Corp and Great Lakes Chemical Corp.
Thirty-plus SAP systems
Howard is responsible for the engineering and administration of more than thirty SAP systems at Chemtura. Her team works with Unix and database teams to build the systems and keep them updated and well maintained. The team recommends SAP fixes and upgrades, then implements them.
Team members at Middlebury, CT HQ and in Hyderabad, India provide 24/7 coverage of the systems.
Howard took over her management duties a year ago. “I’m a new manager, but I’ve worked side by side with my team members before. We know and respect each other. It’s just a great team. They’re hard workers and collaborate well,” she says.
The sandbox system
One recent project was the major upgrade of a business warehouse system which took five months to complete. Most of the time was spent with the “sandbox system,” a test system that simulates what will happen when the product goes to production.
“We upgrade it and tear it down so we understand every step of the process. We had it documented before it even moved into development. It took two months from development to production,” Howard says.
Manage to the individual
Howard notes that her manager, Mark Kaffenberger, has been a great role model in management techniques. She’s worked with him about five years.
“He manages the Unix, SAP, B2B, and Oracle teams. He leads us and provides direction and makes us feel that our input is valued,” Howard says. “One of the things he taught me is that you have to manage ‘to the individual.’”
The company has given Howard good opportunities to expand her database knowledge, providing SAP courses and seminars. She also learns from courses and colleagues in the American SAP Users Group and SAP Developers Network.
Intro to IT
Howard grew up in Falls Village, CT, the youngest of six and the first to go into a technical field. She was introduced to IT when an Air Force recruiter visited her high school and suggested that, based on her test scores, she could train to become a computer operator.
“That was funny, because I really wanted to be a military cop. My cousin, who enlisted with me, really wanted to be a computer operator, but he went into the military security police,” Howard recalls with a laugh.
Unix in a mobile unit
Howard’s entire Air Force career, from 1991 to 1996, was spent at Shaw Air Force Base near Sumter, SC. She started in a data center, then moved to a mobile unit where she learned to be a Unix system admin. She established and maintained a rapid-prototype communications computer system, including more than 120 workstations and 300 user accounts. She also installed some thirty remote workstations throughout the country.
The mobile unit moved to various locations as a contingency system. “In case of need we could pick up and go wherever we had to,” Howard says.
“I really love the Air Force”
When it came time to re-up, Howard had a new baby, and her husband, also in the Air Force, had been transferred from South Carolina to Las Vegas, NV. So Howard reluctantly separated. But, “I would recommend the Air Force to anyone,” she says. “I really love the Air Force.
“When you’re in the military away from home you make life-long bonds with people, and they become your family away from home. Working together, plus the knowledge that you’re really making a difference, is a big part of it.”
Joining Sabre
For the next two years Howard was a stay-at-home mom. Then, in 1998, a recruiter from Sabre Holdings Corp (Tulsa, OK), the travel reservation and information company, tempted her with a job as a SAP basis admin and Unix engineer. Howard’s husband separated from the Air Force and joined her in Tulsa.
“I was responsible for the system they use for the checks of American Airlines employees,” she says. She had two small children by then, and the company was flexible with her schedule. She learned SAP and Oracle on the job.
Back to Connecticut
In 2000 Howard’s brother died, and she knew that her family in Connecticut really missed her. At the same time a consultant friend told her about a good IT opportunity at Chemtura. The offering had instant appeal.
“I knew I’d have the chance to learn more Unix, SAP and Oracle, which was where I wanted to grow, and I liked the people who interviewed me. I’ve always enjoyed learning new applications,” Howard says.
Parenting
The children are now fifteen and eleven, and Howard and her husband can share parenting responsibilities because he works nights as a nurse. “We laugh, because I’m in a field where I’m surrounded by men, and he’s in a field surrounded by women,” she says. Outside of work they spend time at their son’s football games and their daughter’s gymnastics events.
IT without a degree
Howard knows better than anyone that it’s not easy, but even without a college degree you can still achieve IT career success and even get into management. “Many employers like to see experience and hire folks who can hit the ground running,” Howard says.
“If you’re in the military, take advantage of everything they offer you,” she advises. “It can make the transition easier.”
Above all, if you’re a woman who’s good at IT, don’t feel uncomfortable because you think the field is dominated by men. “I may not look the part of an SAP basis engineer, but you prove yourself through your hard work and commitment,” she declares.
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