IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1514429
IPC COMMUNITY 32 WINTER 2024 explore and learn other areas of the business to support my sector of leadership that would not otherwise be available through a different lens of perspectives." The TAEC is important to standards devel- opment. "As the industry is composed of so many complex and ever-changing new devel- opments, without a leadership body that can oversee these changes and bring groups together, as well as provide direction that may not otherwise have been possible, we would be years (if not decades) behind where we are today without this leadership forum," he says. Karen hopes to focus on translating stan- dards at the next TAEC Global meeting. "We tend to write the way we speak," she says, "and that is not always translatable into other languages. This is big on my agenda since new engineers need to understand what we're saying—in any language." Karen McConnell has been active in IPC for many years, and is endlessly curious about our industry. "I am fascinated with the people I meet," she says. "When we gather at committee meetings and feed and grow our brains to get to the proper solution, we can do things better together than any one of us could do individually. I call it the global or collective brain; we all work together. It's fascinating to watch that hap- pen." As TAEC chair, she spends a great deal of time learning about new commit- tees and standards and meeting new committee mem- bers. "When I review the e-print and wearables documents, for example, I know that if I can't understand the first paragraph, no one else will. When it comes to PINs, I should know why they want me to read a section. With committee meetings, it's great to see the new technology." She feels inspired to attend sessions on e-textiles or advanced packaging because it gives her a better understanding, and she enjoys meeting so many new people. "I have the habit of at least once during IPC APEX EXPO finding a table where I don't know anybody, but that's getting harder lately," Karen says. "It is a joy to sit down and listen to people who teach me new things." A turning point was at SummerCom 2023 when, for the first time, she had to stand in line to use the ladies' room. "I have attended so many meetings when I was the only woman there," she says. "That has changed now, and it's thrilling to see the young female engineers put their voices forward." When she's not at work or working on com- mittees, Karen indulges in a personal interest: "I'm a Harry Potter nut," she says. "I don't know how often I have listened to audiobooks going home on my commute from Baltimore. Now I read the fan fiction; I love the ones written by younger people." A Personal Fulfillment