First, I’m an independent consultant, which means that I don’t sell hardware or software and I don’t take finders fees from people who do. It allows me to be objective about what I see, specify, and recommend. My clients in pharmaceuticals, financial services, utilities, and government seem to appreciate that.
Gable Consulting LLC was founded 20 years ago following a reduction in force at a pharmaceutical firm where I managed worldwide Office Automation efforts, including an early imaging system implementation. The layoff stung like mad at the time but was, in retrospect, the classic blessing in disguise. Being a self-employed consultant is the best job I have ever had, even though my boss is a real pain.
Priors include supervising corporate systems for an insurance firm, and managing outpatient business records for a hospital. I started my career in the pre-PC, pre-Internet era at the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia where I managed a fee-based information retrieval service. It was there that I learned how computers and databases could make information more valuable because it was searchable. I was hooked.
My interests are simple. I enjoy bringing a business perspective to ERM projects, because despite all the fear, uncertainty, and doubt, records exist to support the business, not the other way around. There is satisfaction in finding the balance between records’ knowledge value and their evidential risk and in finding the best way to deal with both aspects. I like solving puzzles of all kinds and there are plenty in ERM. I like bringing technology to the records specialists and records management to the technology folks. I think the best solutions are found at the juncture where the two disciplines meet. I believe that some of the finest minds in the world are working to solve information-related problems, and I am fascinated by what they are doing.
I like to write, a good thing for a consultant. I did a stint as a columnist and contributing editor for Transform (formerly Imaging Magazine). I’ve been an editor and writer for ARMA’s Information Management Journal and wrote their current awareness service, NewsWire, for the past three years. My work has appeared in Forbes, The Dallas Morning News, Search CIO, The Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Journal and others. I speak frequently at local and national conferences – or wherever else I’m invited.
Industry certifications are shortcut ways to tell people that you know what you’re doing. My acronyms include CRM (Certified Records Manager), CDIA (Certified Document Imaging Architect), and AIIM’s old LIT and MIT (Laureate and Master of Information Technology). I am an FAI (Fellow of ARMA International). Formal degrees include an MBA in Finance and a BS in Management.
When I’m not working on electronic records projects, you’ll find me dancing – Latin, ballet, contemporary, and, of course, tap dancing. (All consultants know how to tap dance, right?) I live in the Philly suburbs with my tenacious husband of 26 years and two adorable cats.
#dancing #ElectronicRecordsManagement #businessperspective #Career #reasonforrecords #Consulting #advice