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Mary Lennon - Episode 26
58 Plays10 years ago
Mary Lennon works on the east coast for a large environmental firm.
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Transcript
Introduction to Profiles in CRM
00:00:01
Speaker
You are listening to the Archaeology Podcast Network. This is Mary Lennon, and you're listening to Profiles in CRM.
00:00:11
Speaker
Welcome to
Podcast Structure and Focus
00:00:12
Speaker
Profiles in CRM, Episode 26. I'm your host, Chris Webster. Profiles in CRM asks CRM professionals eight simple questions. The answer is very wildly depending on their experience and education. Because of the nature of contract archaeology and how small this field really is, some people choose not to reveal their name or the company they work for. Stay to the end of the show to hear how you can have a chance to answer these same questions.
Mary Lennon and AECOM Introduction
00:00:34
Speaker
Okay, we're here on Profiles, so what is your name and who do you work for?
00:00:39
Speaker
My name is Mary Lennon and I work for AECOM out of Burlington, New Jersey.
Role and Responsibilities at AECOM
00:00:45
Speaker
Awesome. And how long have you been working in CRM? I've been in CRM for three and a half years. And what is the position that you usually have when you're in a CRM company and what is the highest position you've ever held? My job title is archeological technician. That's the position I usually hold, which I think
00:01:06
Speaker
gives me the room to do a couple different things, which I often do in the office between field tech, lab, GIS, whatever's kind of needed at the moment. Okay.
Career Path and Internships
00:01:17
Speaker
And where have you worked? Like what states have you worked in? Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Nice. Have you worked for AECOM for a while or have you worked for other companies in the same area?
00:01:29
Speaker
Yeah, I've mostly been with AECOM. I interned with them my senior year of college, and then it turned into a job. And I've just been really lucky to be able to stay with them since. That's like a full-time thing. But before that, I did a short internship with John Milner Associates out of Westchester in Pennsylvania. That was pretty cool. I got that opportunity through the SRI Foundation and a workshop they did out of the University of Maryland.
00:01:56
Speaker
Nice,
Securing a Full-Time Position in CRM
00:01:57
Speaker
nice. Yeah, it's rare to have a full-time job with some sort of security. Yeah, I got really lucky. I don't know how that happened. I was like more than happy to take it, but I was really floored when they offered it to me. Yeah. And it's been great since. I mean, they have great projects. They've kept me busy and had me do a couple different things. So I'm happy to stay with them for as long as they'll keep me.
00:02:22
Speaker
Cool. Well, next question. Besides, you know, having been full time employed, which is sort of the holy grail for CRM archaeology, especially at the field tech level.
Key Achievements and Digital Archaeology
00:02:33
Speaker
Besides that, what is the best thing that's happened to you that's related to being an archaeologist? And you can go anywhere from professional, personal, whatever. It wouldn't have happened if you weren't an archaeologist. I guess besides getting a full time job, which I think was what I was going to say was the best thing that happened.
00:02:52
Speaker
I've met some really awesome people and I've had some other really awesome opportunities. I started doing GIS with my company about a year ago and through that I've got to work with other professionals within my company who do that and somebody mentioned to me something about the Digital Archaeology Institute that's being hosted this summer out of the University of Michigan.
00:03:15
Speaker
So I thought about it and I put in an application and I got in. So I guess that's the most exciting thing I have going on right now. Nice. Yeah, I'm pretty excited. Yeah, that's really cool. All right. And what is the biggest thing that you would change that would make being a CRM archaeologist
Field Communication and Technology Adoption
00:03:31
Speaker
better? And I don't necessarily mean change at AECOM, of course, I mean in the profession. I guess overall just like communication in the field. Like I don't think that a lot of people understand what
00:03:44
Speaker
each other's jobs are and how each different job kind of plays into the overall product that we're looking to produce. One other thing too is just, I really think the field needs to kind of move into the 21st century. And I think that's part of where I see a lot of discrepancies happen. Like people don't understand the technology that we're working with, or they don't want to understand, or they don't want to make a product that's more than just a written report and a box of artifacts that go and sit on a shelf somewhere that don't ever leave.
00:04:14
Speaker
Yeah, I really think that the whole field moving towards using new technologies, interactive reports and everything that is more useful to the public and to our clients and to everybody else is really kind of what needs to happen.
00:04:28
Speaker
Yeah, you know, hopefully the right people are listening to episodes like this because we're getting more and more answers like that. Even in other conversations I have, it's all I talk to people about anymore is digital archaeology. So it's definitely where things need to be going. I agree completely. Yeah. All right. So what is your career goal in CRM or do you have a career goal in CRM or do you want to move on to something else?
Learning Goals in CRM
00:04:50
Speaker
Ah, I think I'm just kind of waiting to see where it takes me. But right now I'm more going towards the learning how to make interactive reports and how to use GIS online and how to incorporate that.
00:05:06
Speaker
into our reports for our clients and stuff, maybe using it to do some spatial analysis of artifacts and everything. That's just kind of where I wanna go with it right now, but I'm up for whatever. Nice, no, that's interesting. And like I said, directions we need to be going anyway, so. Yeah. All right, so I think this is the final question here.
Advice for Aspiring Anthropologists
00:05:26
Speaker
If you could give an undergrad thinking about a career in CRM one piece of advice, what would it be?
00:05:32
Speaker
I would definitely say to, if possible, do a double major. Getting a degree in anthropology is great, but I think doubling with something like geology or GIS or history really helps bolster your resume and helps give you more insight into what's going on in the office and just I think really overall will help your career develop better.
00:06:02
Speaker
Show notes for this and all episodes can be found on the Archaeology Podcast Network website at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/. At that page, you'll also find a form that you can fill out so you can be interviewed on the show. Interviews take less than 30 minutes and you don't need any special equipment. Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the field.
00:06:23
Speaker
This has been a presentation of the Archaeology Podcast Network. Visit us on the web for show notes and other podcasts at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com Contact us at chrisatarchaeologypodcastnetwork.com