Message from Philadelphia Chapter President

Guest Blogger: Monique Berry

WOW! What a networking event we shared last month with a record crowd of over 500 attendees at Ms. Tootsies! Thank you very much for your support! I'd like to also extend a special thank you to Sulaiman Rahman, President and owner of UrbanPhilly.com, our partner for a spectacular event. Your participation and support is sincerely and greatly appreciated!!

I am honored to serve you as the Philadelphia chapter president; and my goal is to serve you and the BDPA organization well. Our vision is to be the premier information technology association for professionals worldwide. Our mission is to serve our members by providing services to advance careers in the information technology industry. In other words, we provide a bridge between students, professionals, industry and government providing a safe harbor to share ideas and develop new relationships for the benefit of our stakeholders.

To carry out our mission we must work together to set realistic goals and expectations, and perform to achieve those goals with a strong sense of commitment. As one of the largest chapters in the Nation, and as the national 'Chapter of the Year' two years running, our members and Executive Board have proven their allegiance to the vision and the mission. We have a strong foundation from which to build! With the success of our programs and contributions; made to further education in the areas of science and technology combined with our sponsor's continued support, new ideas, and a renewed interest it is now time to take our chapter to the next level.

One area of focus is to increase membership by obtaining speakers of interest and influence. I've also been pondering a Veterans Retraining Initiative to expand our services to reach out to wounded warriors in transition. In addition, we are expanding our programs for college students and Small Business, to mention a few. We've added fuel to the fire! Now is the time to jump in and charge ahead for success. Please open your minds and your hearts to inspire your imaginations! Share with us your thoughts and ideas, and seriously consider joining one of the committees. You will find it a fun and beneficial experience. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!

Monique Berry, president
BDPA Philadelphia Chapter