Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President

Dalric Webb

I hope everyone enjoyed a joyful, relaxing and ful-FILLING Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, and loved ones. Thanksgiving time reminds me of our BDPA family, working together for the common good, individually, collectively, and for our communities. It is with this 'holiday spirit” in mind that I share with you my final monthly message for 2014.

Without a pause, we will close out the year with our final program meeting, 'Productivity in the Workplace' on 12/18/14. Under the leadership of the VP-Member Services Karen Lipscomb and Professional Development director Babacar Guisse, we have completed twelve (12) highly informative and engaging  professional networking sessions each month this year. These sessions have not only been fantastic opportunities to broaden and sharpen the technical acumen of the attendees, but have also been synergistic opportunities between recruiters who have attended these sessions each and every month, and those individuals looking for other opportunities.  Each session highlights a point of the vast technical space we live in and each has provided a nugget or two of information we find useful. You should look for even more engagement with our members and the professional community in 2015!

Secondly, I have to again bring just a little more attention to the OUTSTANDING work done with our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program this year.  Karen Lipscomb, Outreach director Deborah Prince and SITES coordinator Frank Hill joined with a host of volunteers to execute a superb SITES program the resulted in over $15,000 in college scholarships being awarded to students within our chapter.   There is an excellent write-up in the current edition of “About Greater Cincinnati” that sets the bar high for 2015 in our youth education programming.

Thirdly, let me talk about membership.  VP-Membership Management Wayne Hicks and his team of volunteers have knocked the ball out of the park in 2014 with over 150% membership growth! The team has developed a succinct process for quickly closing on membership opportunities and has worked hard all year to bring greater ROI-value proposition for your membership.   Additionally, this team has really TURNED UP the bar on marketing our chapter’s efforts and successes. BDPA has often, unfortunately been considered a well-kept secret. While there is some value in remaining under-exposed as an organization, there is much greater value in being able to effectively and efficiently tell our story (after all, if we don’t tell our story, who will?). Wayne, Karen and their teams worked together to share the operational successes of our chapter, our students and our members. This exposure goes a long way in gaining additional support which ultimately enables the volunteers to do more.

Next, let me share the continued growth in your volunteer board leadership - Carmen Byes (Communications), William Carter (Planning), Lesley Floyd (Alliances), Babacar Guisse (Professional Development), Steve Gutter (VP-Finance), Wayne Hicks, Frank Hill, Ellery Lewis (VP-Fundraising), Karen Lipscomb, Carl Matthews (Chapter Organization), Patrick Nelson (Member Benefits), Norman Phillips (VP-Strategy & Planning), Deborah Prince, Michael Pulliam (Contact Management), Debbie Sanders (Internal-External) and Audrey Sweeney (Membership) - as they delivered on a wide variety of efforts and programs in the past year.   This harmonious team continues to drive process improvements, improve the effectiveness of the chapter organization, and find new ways to bring value to our members, to each other, to our sponsors, and to our communities. There are only a few open positions left on the board. Now is your chance to join our team as we move into 2015.   The time is perfect for you to help us take BDPA to the next level.

Finally, a short word about our sponsors. This year we have had the honor and benefit of UNWAVERING support from Brown Mackie College, Cincinnati Bell, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati State Technical College, Delta Gateway Foundation, GE, Northern Kentucky University, Per Scholas, Procter & Gamble, The Circuit, University of Cincinnati. As a non-profit organization, no matter how much good we endeavor to accomplish for our youth, the technology professionals, and our communities, we couldn’t do it without the timely support and follow-through from our sponsors. These organizations are directly responsible for ensuring your local BDPA chapter receives timely support.   The funding and encouragement from these sponsors keeps our strong body of volunteers going. We sincerely appreciate all of the support received and look forward to adding new sponsors in 2015.

As we look to the end of 2015, the Christmas season, and brighter days ahead, may all of your loads be light, may your journey be short, and may your results exceed your own expectations in all that you endeavor. Wishing each and every one of you and your families, a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a return to engaging with your local chapter anew in 2015.

Sincerely,
Dalric Webb, president
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter