Kathryn Walter, CAP
Kathryn Walter, CAP
Senior Operations Research Analyst at Avista Corp.
Kathryn Walter, CAP, is a Senior Operations Research Analyst who works on mathematical models supporting better decision making at Avista Corporation, a utilities company in Spokane, WA. She is a former optimization consultant, a former military officer, and a holder of MS and BS degrees in operations research. She currently serves on the INFORMS Board of Directors as Vice President, Chapters and Fora.
Track: Supply Chain
Optimizing Optimization (Gaining and Maintaining User Acceptance of an Optimization Application)
Over the past 10 years, Avista has gone from not using mathematical modeling to having customized optimization embedded within the organization to help with both short term and long term decisions. This presentation will discuss some of the lessons learned in gaining and maintaining user acceptance of Avista’s optimization application, the Avista Decision Support System (ADSS). The acceptance allowed ADSS to grow from one person’s idea to a highly used and highly impactful tool. The audience will learn about optimization for power supply decisions and leave with ideas for getting user acceptance for their own applications.
