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Thank you for tuning into today's full episode of the Breaking Changes podcast.

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I'm your host and chief evangelist for Postman, Kin Lane.

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With Breaking Changes, we explore topics from the world of APIs, but through the lens of

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business and engineering leadership.

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Joining me today, we have Kendra Appleheimer, vice president, games and technology at Special

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Olympics. Hearing about APIs at Special Olympics from Kendra warmed my heart and left me feeling

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pretty good about the industry that I operate in each day.

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I always start simple, start with the basics.

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Who are you and what do you do?

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Well, first of all, thank you for having me.

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My name is Kendra Appleheimer and I'm the vice president for games and program technology

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at Special Olympics.

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I came to Special Olympics a few years ago.

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I worked in IT consulting where I really worked on every aspect of the software delivery lifecycle

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as a contributor and as a leader and a manager.

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I built up an expertise in business analysis, requirements gathering, testing.

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I also led development teams through the full delivery lifecycle in both agile and waterfall

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methodologies and also coordinated across a lot of stakeholder groups, also worked closely

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with the client. Four years ago, I came over to Special Olympics International where I now oversee technology

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implementation for Special Olympics at our major games and events and with our accredited

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Special Olympics programs.

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A large part of that role is delivering technology for the major games and that's really where

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a lot of the API integrations come into play to enable the functions for these major games

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and events.

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When we talk about Special Olympics, we have these major games and events which happen

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at an international level and we're talking about like a world winter games or world summer

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games which happen every four years or large regional events or single sport invitational

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events. And then we also talk about our accredited programs which are located around the world.

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So in the US, a program level is typically at the state level and then around the world

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it could be at the country level.

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And then the program level is really where the day-to-day operations and practices and

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trainings and games happen for Special Olympics.

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And then at the international level again is where we have our major games and events.

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You have that blend of business and technical skills I think that's really interesting.

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I see a lot of people have that kind of operate at this intersection of APIs and the world

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we live in. But most people don't see APIs.

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They don't see this layer that exists.

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So that's very much why I've got into this business because I see the impact that APIs

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are having on the world. Positive and some not so positive.

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But you mentioned the games and what this enables, kind of the formal Special Olympics

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impact. But can you speak to the human impact and what this does for athletes and how APIs impact

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their world? Sure.

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And to give you some more background too about myself, the reason why I'm personally so passionate

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about this is because my older sister has Down syndrome and she is a Special Olympics

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athlete. So personally, I've always been involved in the Special Olympics mission and the movement

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and really volunteering in the space of helping people with intellectual or developmental

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disabilities. And Special Olympics provides sport and health access to people with intellectual disabilities.

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So what's important for the Special Olympics technology aspect of our mission is really

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making sure that athletes have a world-class sporting experience, especially at that major

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games level. So we have a responsibility, I think, at Special Olympics to leverage those digital solutions

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that meet the demands of those large-scale sporting events.

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And that's where really the integrations can enable the public getting that information

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about the athletes, about their schedules or scores or results, and then also providing

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that information to the public, helping the operations of the games internally.

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And then just overall, I think we at Special Olympics are looking at ways to better collect

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and leverage data internally from our stakeholders, from our athletes, to just continue to improve

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sport quality and our delivery of our mission.

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Yeah, so important. So it's such an interesting use case for APIs to kind of elevate folks, to make them feel

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like they're part of this competition and this whole community.

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And this community you touched on a little bit is global.

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But can you elaborate a little bit more on what the global nature is of your work and

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your API effort? Sure.

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So Special Olympics is an international global organization.

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It's estimated that 200 million people around the world have an intellectual disability.

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And Special Olympics, we have over 6 million athletes involved in over 170 accredited programs.

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So what that means is in numbers, over 100,000 competitions happen every day, every year

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around the world. So it's an ongoing, you know, a daily operation that we really have at the local level.

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And this year alone, at the international level, we delivered three major events.

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So first of all, in June, we had the USA Games, which were in Orlando.

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And that was more of a regional games, but we had athletes from all 50 states and the

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Caribbean participating, and that was about 5,000 athletes.

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We also put on the German National Games in Berlin, which was a test event for our World

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Summer Games, which will be next year in Berlin.

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But this test event, the German National Games, still had over 4,000 athletes in over 20 sports.

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They were representative of mainly German delegations, but also international participants.

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And then in August of this year, we had Unified Cup, which was in Detroit, and that was a

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soccer or football tournament, also with over 20 nations competing in that tournament.

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So we do have a lot of far reach, I think, internationally at the local level, and then

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at these very large games.

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Yeah, that's quite a scope. I can't imagine managing that level of scope.

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I did North American events for SAP, like everything from leading up to the conferences,

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just for North America. And I lasted like three years.

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It was intense. So I can imagine globally it's a lot to deal with.

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What does APIs mean to this?

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Like how do APIs enable you to do what you do?

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Yeah, that's a great question, because at these major games and competitions and events,

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which is really what I'd like to speak to mostly within the scope of APIs is really

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where we can enable that information sharing either internally or externally.

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So at these major games, so for example, at the USA Games or at the Berlin Games or at

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Unified Cup, there are a few core areas.

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So first of all is the timing and scoring system integration.

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So you could think of that as at the venue, there may be a timing system there for swimming

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competition or track and field. So that is an integration with a centralized competition system.

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And then we also have the information diffusion to the public, which I mentioned.

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So that is bringing that core competition information out to the website or the mobile

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app, all of the core information being athlete profile information, what delegation

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information, and then the schedules and then the results of the competition and then the

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medals and placings. So as that's coming in and as competitions are happening, that information is then updated

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on the website or the mobile app for the games.

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APIs also enable the internal operations for the games, and that could be using third party

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systems to manage accommodations or transportation, also managing maybe volunteers.

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Medical incident tracking is also a big area, especially in a sporting event.

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And then finally, some other core mission systems that we use out of major games, such as our

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healthy athlete system, which provides medical screenings for athletes.

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So when we talk about integrations at an event, it's what you see at the venue, it's what

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you see on your phone and the app. It's also happening behind the scenes to help the back office operations and really make

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the event happen. Wow.

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And this is all done with REST kind of web APIs?

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Yes. Yeah, mostly, mostly REST.

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We do use a little bit of GraphQL, but most of it is REST.

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Yeah. Yeah. It just shows the scope and the power.

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I think a lot of people assume REST will only get you so far, but I think it's pretty much

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a foundational piece of how we do a lot of what we do.

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So you touched a little bit on the mobile app.

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And so who are your consumers of your APIs overall?

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So to, and to also maybe provide a little more context of the system that we provide

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to a major games to the organizing committee.

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The core system provides registration credentialing or accreditation, so which prints the badge

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and provides access control. Also competition management, which is the core of really Special Olympics competition

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and our sports rules and making sure competition is fair and also competitive in each of the

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sports. And then also the integration factor.

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So the groups that consume this data, that was a question, right?

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Yes. Okay. Yeah, the groups that consume the data really touch on almost every functional area of the

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games that you can think of because this central system has registration information.

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It knows everyone who's attending the games from the athletes to even family members,

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media, any staff, any group that has to register and get a credential.

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It also contains the credentialing information.

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So that's the access control factor.

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And then finally, the competition information.

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So, and that's really the core of the system.

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So, and that's really the core of the event itself.

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So as you can imagine, functional areas like delegation services, families,

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media, volunteer management, medical operations, almost every group is dependent on at least

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some aspect of the information we're collecting.

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So we have, I mentioned some of the other systems that are integrating, but we also

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have some expectations, whether it's through an API and maybe we point a media group to

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get schedules and scores from a website, or maybe it's more manual and it's more of a

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providing a report or providing a different means of providing that information to the

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group that needs it. So there's a lot of dependencies from these functional areas on this data,

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and it's really the core of the event itself.

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Yeah, that's a lot of, it's a lot to manage a lot of relationships, a lot of information

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and data to track. So this show is meant for business leadership.

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So I don't want to get into the technical details, but how do you manage complexity

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and change across all of this? This is a lot of data and information.

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Yeah, yeah, it's, that is the biggest part of it.

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I think it takes a lot of project planning, change management, stakeholder management

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and communication. And I think, and also really a focus on trying to get better every time.

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So we do put on these events every few years.

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Some operations are similar, some are different depending on the host city, but for the most

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part, we'd really always have our eye on innovation and improvement and having retrospectives.

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So from, I think from like a project management, project planning standpoint, it's really,

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there are core aspects of managing the project, managing the stakeholders, and then managing

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the integrations and how those come together. So I think there are, when I think of this, I really think of just two main areas.

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I mean, a lot goes into it, but I think as we, as I've learned over the years, there's

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two big areas, I think that really need a lot of focus and trying to bring all these

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different stakeholders together and making sure that you're building systems correctly,

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you're building integrations correctly, and you're putting on these events or really any

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project delivery. So I think the first is requirements.

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And I always feel like because of my background, I have a lot of focus on requirements, but

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requirements, business need, however you want to define it, that's really a core area, very

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basic, but very important in getting all these different groups together and being able to

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have them articulate really what they're looking for, help them articulate what they're looking

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for before you step into figuring out how to get there.

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So it's not just as simple as, you know, this group is looking for a website, but it's

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what exactly are they looking for on that website?

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When do they expect it to be there?

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What kind of information? Are we even collecting that information?

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So making sure that's covered up front, what is the need?

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And I know that's very fundamental, but that's a big aspect of making sure your

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stakeholder needs are met. And then the second part is the stakeholders and then also the systems they represent,

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if we're talking more towards the integration aspect.

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So the owners of the systems that are integrating need to be part of the process, making sure

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they're part of the planning process, articulating their needs, but then also part of the project

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tasks and milestones and are keeping informed on how things are progressing, informed on the risks,

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informed on any status updates, and then also making sure that these people and systems are

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working together. So integrating, I think, is the end goal, but it's also a component of getting there

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and making sure all of these groups are also integrated to the process.

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I often see, I think, assumptions being made in project planning and execution that avoid these

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two key areas of getting your requirements right and then getting your stakeholders and your

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systems engaged and involved.

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And it all comes together with a lot of communication.

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It's a lot of, and again, when you understand your stakeholders, you understand what kind of

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communication they expect or need. The communication can be formal, it can be informal, it can be through a Kanban board, or

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it could be through status updates, it could be through meetings.

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Just making sure that everyone is talking, everyone has a chance to express their needs,

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and then everyone knows what is expected of them as the project progresses.

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So it's multifaceted, I think, obviously, like any project, but I think there are some core areas

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that I've learned over time that are especially important and maybe get neglected or forgotten

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about or don't get the emphasis they need.

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And I think those are really important to be successful.

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Yeah. So how much of your job is technical versus people?

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Me personally, it's more people oriented.

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I do have to say I have an excellent team.

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All of this would not be possible without them.

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They're very focused on knowing the business or helping the business articulate their need.

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They're also very passionate about the mission.

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So that is a great combination, I think, to help us execute.

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They know the systems really well. And we also, I mentioned the three major games we had this year, and that was a lot of work.

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So I do want to give a lot of credit to my team in this area.

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So me personally, it is a lot of people, so either internally or externally,

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or with the organizing committee or with other stakeholders.

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So it's managing the people and the tasks for myself.

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But also, I do, from my experience, have a lot of knowledge on the technical side.

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So if needed, whether a vendor or a third party system, or, you know,

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hey, there has a question or we need some, it needs some additional input.

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I'm available to do that too. Nice.

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I think that's the right balance to have.

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I'm always advocating that we change the acronym API to be a people interface

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rather than a programmatic interface.

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Because I find it's mostly about people, and relationships and connecting,

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and the APIs are secondary to what we're trying to do.

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So in that same vein, when it comes to business leadership within your organization,

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but maybe within a stakeholder and partner organizations,

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do they know what APIs are? Are they aware that they exist?

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I think within Special Olympics, the importance of APIs,

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whether they know it as API or integration, that the business understanding

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or the overall understanding of the importance of it for our movement

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has become more known over the years.

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And that's been through demonstrated success to say,

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okay, we have this website now.

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And when we get official results from a competition,

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it's available on the website within a couple of minutes.

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And how does that happen? And that's through an integration.

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So there's definitely more of a business leadership understanding that

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integrations are very valuable to our movement from that perspective.

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And that's really the public facing perspective.

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And then there's also the internal operations perspective.

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And not just at major games and events, but also other operations for health data and research

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from some of our other systems we have across the movement,

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being able to pull that in and either visualize it or analyze it,

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make it centralized for our needs.

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There's a lot of different use cases, I think, that are,

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again, demonstrating success really proves to everyone the need for it.

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I'll also add that at Special Olympics, our strategic plan

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has now incorporated digitizing the movement.

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So there's really more emphasis on improving how we collect and use data,

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understanding that we do have a responsibility to leverage those solutions,

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digital solutions, and really invest in technology and digital solutions.

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Let me think if there's anything else I can add.

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Yeah, I think just overall, the last few years has really shown that technology really is helpful,

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either through how we're getting information out to the public or how we're operating internally.

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Yeah, I second that.

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I would say the last four years, every company, enterprise, organization, institution I talk to

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is facing the same with digital transformation.

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The importance of integrations and then that control and agility, flexibility,

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is the API at the center of that. We've done breaking changes with Boy Scouts of America.

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We've done it with Formula One racing, with NBA, with Center for Medicaid and Medicare,

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and they're all facing the same thing.

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They're having to digitize their efforts and they're on this journey.

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It's good to hear that your leadership is on the same journey and it's woven into the mission.

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You mentioned your personal connection, your family connection to this,

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but why do you do this personally?

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I mean, beyond that personal connection, what keeps you

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interested in doing APIs and doing these projects and building these connections every day?

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Sure. I think from a technology perspective and technical and general perspective,

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I studied mechanical engineering and systems engineering.

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I've always been interested in solving problems.

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And then through my work experience, I saw how the application of systems engineering

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and software delivery could be applied.

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So I really personally enjoy providing technology solutions,

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helping provide technology solutions and solving problems.

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I mentioned my sister is a Special Olympics athlete and she has Down syndrome.

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So from the personal perspective,

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I've always been involved in the community of people with disabilities.

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I, in high school, founded a club for students with disabilities.

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Students without disabilities to be friends and have activities together.

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In college, my senior design project was a toy for children with physical and intellectual disabilities.

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So it's always been, I think, woven into everything that I do.

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When I first graduated college and moved away,

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I got involved with the local Special Olympics program to help teach tennis.

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And then more recently, I've been helping coach an adult unified tennis team for Special Olympics.

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Unified tennis is when people with and without disabilities play together on the same team.

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So that's been really fun. And other than my Special Olympics involvement, I think,

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I've just always found a way to get involved in the community of people with disabilities.

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So the mission is really important to me. Really, again, woven into who I am.

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And I'm also an athlete myself, so I was a college athlete.

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So from a sport perspective, I am someone who's played sports my entire life.

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And I realize the importance of access to sport for anybody.

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So I think Special Olympics really brings together all of that.

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It brings together a mission of providing sport and health access

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for people with disabilities. And then in my role, I'm able to bring technology into that as well.

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So this is really a mission I really believe in.

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And then the day-to-day work for me is just genuinely fun.

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Putting on these games, attending these events.

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I look around and at times it's just incredible that this is my job.

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Hi. I love it. This is why I do APIs.

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This is why I seek out API stories is basically this type of enablement and empowerment.

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Because I see a lot of tech and I have to say, it doesn't always warm my heart

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or even interest me, to be honest, sometimes.

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And to see tech enabling people and connecting, I think, is just what this is all about for me.

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So I really appreciate you coming by today and sharing your story.

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This has been great. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

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I would also add for anyone listening that if they're interested in learning more about Special Olympics,

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check out SpecialOlympics.org or any of our social media channels.

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And you can learn more about Special Olympics and then also how to get involved.

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Yes, that was going to be my next question. So thank you.

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Definitely, folks. And what I love about this is it's not just the usual volunteerism.

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There's technical opportunities. If you want to push forward your tech skills, you can get involved and be part of this community, right?

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Yep, absolutely. We even have technology volunteers at these games.

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So if you have technical skills or a particular skill set and want to volunteer

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and use that skill set, there are opportunities for that too.

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See, I'm encountering a lot of folks who have been doing real well in the tech industry

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with their careers. But once we came up against COVID, starting to question like kind of their purpose in life

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and looking for avenues that maybe have a little more social impact,

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a little bit more nourishment for their soul.

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But they get to apply their tech skills. So it sounds like that this is the place they could find that.

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Yes, it is. Awesome.

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Well, Kendra, this has been great.

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I really appreciate you sharing your story and coming by.

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Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure.

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Thanks again to Kendra for stopping by. You can find more about Kendra on LinkedIn and Special Olympics at specialolympics.org.

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You can subscribe to the Breaking Changes podcast at postman.com

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slash events slash breaking dash changes.

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I'm your host, Kin Lane. And until next time, cheers.