Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President (May 2018)

Johnson, Harrigan, Harrigan and Murph

Good morning BDPA Members, I am prompted to give you this update because I attended a graduation celebration for one of our BDPA students last night. I will additionally update you on three other BDPA Students in attendance. This was Hadiya Harrigan’s celebration. From left to right Christian Johnson, Hasani Harrigan, Hadiya Harrigan and Austin Murph are shown in the photo.

Christian graduated this spring from North Carolina A&T State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and he has accepted a Product Engineering position at Microsoft in Dallas Texas.

Second from the left is Hasani Harrigan. Hasani is a junior at Tuskegee University majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Hasani has been selected for an internship at Boeing this summer.

Frank Hill

Third from the left is Hadiya Harrigan. Hadiya graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tuskegee University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Hadiya will be attending Duke University in the fall, pursuing Masters and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Hadiya will intern at P&G this summer.

Austin Murph is on the far right. Austin is currently attending the University of Cincinnati at Blue Ash. Austin plans to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University in the fall.

As a long time, instructor for BDPA and Cincinnati State, I am continuously energized by the success of students that I have taught. I further believe that there is a great need for people to teach technology at any level and I encourage everyone to actively "get in the game". You are needed and your impact will last forever!

Have a great day!
Frank Hill
President, BDPA Cincinnati Chapter

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, February 2018)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. We continue to have a chapter who leads the nation in BDPA members.... BDPA Cincinnati. The chapter ... led by its president, Frank Hill ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth. The chapter is significantly larger than the second largest chapter as they continue moving towards the next milestone of having 200 members this year.

We would also like to congratulate BDPA Bay Area (led by Gina Tomlinson) and BDPA Greater Tampa Bay Chapter (led by Andrea Johnson) for becoming an 'active' chapter by having more than the minimum level of membership. Gina and Andrea both realize that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Frank Hill

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Frank Hill
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
3. St. Louis - president, Marvis Hollis
4. Indianapolis - president, Delano Robinson
5. Chicago - president, John Coleman
6. Atlanta - president, Victor Montgomery
7. Southern Minnesota - president, Ebenezer Kyei-Baffour
8.  Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
9. New Jersey - president, Anthony Dupree
   
10. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' has grown to three.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati,Detroit and St. Louis each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their  members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?

Grant Proposal: Goldman Sachs Foundation (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit a grant proposal to the Goldman Sachs Foundation seeking $8,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.  We should get an answer within a couple of months.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 46 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

Grant Proposal: Cincinnati Bell (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit a grant proposal to the Cincinnati Bell seeking $5,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.  We should get an answer within a couple of months.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 46 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President

Happy New Year BDPA Members, Sponsors and Supporters!

Frank Hill

As incoming BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President, I first want to thank the chapter board of directors, led by Na'Shawnda (Mitchell) Peterson for continuing the tradition of strong chapter leadership. I would also like to recognize and thank Debbie Sanders for continuing in the vital role of VP-Finance for another term. I commit to continue the long history of BDPA service to the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky community during my term.

Over the years since I joined BDPA, I have observed that the organization has contributed to the professional growth of members through mentorship and developmental opportunities. I have seen reserved individual contributors develop skills in BDPA and rise to dynamic leadership roles in Corporate America.

I am particularly gratified by the growth of our student population through the Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) programs. I have personally seen how the BDPA experience has helped our students gain access to highly competitive education and technical opportunities. The following are a subset of recent SITES student achievements:

• Yaw Asante led our National Competition Team and completed a software development internship at Children’s Hospital Medical Center last summer. Yaw received multiple BDPA scholarships. Yaw is currently attending Princeton University majoring in Computer Science.
• Hasani Harrigan graduated HS 2016; attending Tuskegee University; majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Hasani received multiple BDPA scholarships. Hasani was awarded the University of Southern California Summer Research fellowship in the summer of 2017. 
• Mouhamadou Guisse graduated HS 2016 with a scholarship to Ohio State University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering
• Adam Goines graduated HS 2016; attending University of Dayton majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Adam won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scholarship which provides for funding Bachelors through PhD
• Hadiya Harrigan graduated HS 2015; attended Tuskegee University; received multiple BDPA Scholarships; recognized as one of the top 25 high school women in technology nationally and recognized as one of the top 10 Girl Scouts in the world for her Gold Project. Hadiya received internships from General Electric and Procter & Gamble.
• Kamin Johnson graduated HS 2013; graduated Full Sail University with degree in Game Development; currently Software Game Developer at Even Holdings Inc. in Austin Texas.
• Chidima Okafor graduated HS 2013; attended St Louis University; Completed BS double major in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Chidima is currently attending graduate school at the University of Cincinnati.

In a technology driven society, BDPA’s role is increasingly important to ensure that minorities gain access to the mentoring and training required to be successful in STEM related careers. I look forward to meeting all of you to formulate and execute strategies to further propel our community “From the Class Room to the Board Room”.

Have a great day!
Frank Hill, president
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter

2018 BDPA Computer Camp Intro (BDPA Cincinnati)

This video provides and introduction to the 2018 BDPA Computer Camp hosted by the BDPA Cincinnati Chapter. This is the starter camp for student training in the chapter. The initial camp provides an introduction to a number of technologies. Students who complete this camp can move on to more advanced training.

For more information on the computer camp you can reach out to Computer Camp coordinator Frank Hill.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, October 2017)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. We have a chapter who leads the nation in BDPA members.... BDPA Cincinnati.   The chapter ... led by its president, Shawnda Peterson ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.  The chapter recently hosted the 39th BDPA Technology Conference in downtown Cincinnati and it was a remarkable event and everyone appeared to have a great time!

Ebenezer Kyei-Baffour

The largest movement came from BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter who moved up to 8th place as a result of their success at the 2017 National BDPA High School Computer Competition.  Ebenezer Kyei-Baffour is the president of the chapter and they are doing well. His efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   He realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
3. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
4. St. Louis - president, Malcom Mathis
5. Indianapolis - president, Delano Robinson
6. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
7. Atlanta - president, Victor Montgomery
8. Southern Minnesota - president, Ebenezer Kyei-Baffour
9. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
10. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney
    

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at two.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati and Detroit each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?

Grant Proposal: C Spire (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit a grant proposal to C Spire seeking $5,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We hope to have an answer within the next couple of months.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 46 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

Grant Proposal: UPS (Cincinnati)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit a grant proposal to UPS seeking $15,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We submitted our grant request to the UPS Supply Chain Solutions department. We hope to have an answer within the next couple of months.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 47 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

Grant Proposal * Fifth Third Bank (Cincinnati)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit a grant proposal to the Fifth Third Bank seeking $5,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We hope to have an answer within the next few months.

2017 BDPA Cincinnati HSCC Team

Fifth Third Bank sponsorship and donation request site online proposals, which will be reviewed by the regional Sponsorship Committee. The site was referred to us by Mark Walton, director of Community & Economic Development in the Greater Cincinnati Region of Fifth Third Bank.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 47 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, July 2017)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. We have a chapter who leads the nation in BDPA members.... BDPA Cincinnati.   The chapter ... led by its president, Shawnda Peterson ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.  The chapter recently hosted the 39th BDPA Technology Conference in downtown Cincinnati and it was a remarkable event and everyone appeared to have a great time! 

Judaea Lane

The largest movement came from BDPA St. Louis chapter who moved up to 4th place as a result of the agreement they came to with Daugherty Business Solutions.   Malcom Mathis is the president of the chapter and they are doing well.  We continue to operate under the leadership of acting National BDPA VP-Membership Management Judaea Lane.   Her team now includes Chad White (Dallas).  Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   She realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
3. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
4. St. Louis - president, Malcom Mathis
5. Atlanta - president, Victor Montgomery
   
6. Indianapolis - president, Delano Robinson
7. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
8. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
9. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney
   
10. Triangle - president, Carl Hill 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at two.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati and Detroit each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?

BDPA Lands Bronze Level Sponsorship from Procter & Gamble

BDPA lands a Bronze level sponsorship from Procter & Gamble (P&G) during BDPA’s 39th Annual National Technology Conference and Career Fair to be held July 26-29, 2017 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Procter & Gamble is a leading multinational manufacturer of product ranges including family, personal and household care products.

Shawnda Peterson, BDPA Cincinnati chapter President said, "P&G has been a great champion of BDPA for a number of years, contributing to the chapter financially was well as through the gift of people resources. We look forward to an ongoing relationship in which, through this partnership, we continue to develop and retain IT talent for the greater Cincinnati area."

Shawnda Peterson

BDPA is the largest African American information technology association in the U.S., and the largest national non-profit organization continually involved in training students underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). BDPA was founded in 1975 by Earl Pace and David Wimberly to close the digital divide for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.

National BDPA President Mike Williams proudly exclaimed, "We thank Procter & Gamble for their support and continued focus on diversity. We look forward to working with them in the coming months."

For more information about the Annual National BDPA Technology Conference & Career Fair or the corporate sponsorship program, contact the corporate sales support team at (301) 584-3135 ext.108 or corpsales@bdpa.org. Additionally, please visit www.bdpa.org.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, March 2017)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. We have a new chapter who leads the nation in BDPA members.... BDPA Cincinnati.   The chapter ... led by its president, Shawnda Peterson ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.  The chapter grew by 40 members in the past month as they continue moving towards the next milestone of having 200 members this year.

We continue to operate under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.   Her team now includes Chad White (Dallas) and Judaea Lane (Memphis).  Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   She realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Shawnda Peterson

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
3. Atlanta - president, Vincent Montgomery
   
4. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
5. Indianapolis - president, Delano Robinson
   
6. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
7. Milwaukee - president, Allen Baylor
8.  Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
   
9. Triangle - president, Carl Hill 
10. New York - president, Tyrone McKinney

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at three.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Detroit, Cincinnati and Atlanta each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?

BDPA Cincinnati Newsletter (Spring 2017)

BDPA Cincinnati Newsletter (Spring 2017) from Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio

Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President

Shawnda Peterson

Good morning all!

We had a good state of the union session last night. We were able to sign up three new individuals and hopefully have three move willing to join the organization. We discussed the national conference taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio during the week of July 26 - July 29. This is the first time in the 39 years the national conference has been taking place that it has been held in Cincinnati. This is a great accomplishment not only for our city but for our local chapter.

We have several interests with the media to do stories on several of the initiatives taking place inside of our organization. I hope everyone on the board will be willing if need to help speak and discuss some of the great things were are doing in the organization and how we are preparing for the conference. I hope everyone would be able to attend this year. The cost is $350/members and $450/non-members. and it is a strong possibility that your company will pay for your conference fees. I put in the request in this morning for me and I hope you do the same. Dr. Dalric Webb will be the local representative for the conference. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to him.

Debbie Sanders on January 11, 2017 stepped up to fill the board position as the VP of Finance. I would like everyone to please congratulate her on her new position when you have a chance. Thank you so much Debbie for stepping up in 2017 and we truly appreciate all your work.

We had an open forum with the group and here are some topics the members would like to see this year. If you know anyone who could possible speak on any of the topics please reach out to Aissatou Guisse.

Potential Topics included:

BDPA Cincinnati Program Meeting

• Alexa app development 
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cybersecurity
• Datalake
• DevOps - Mike Lively has volunteer to speak to the group again
• Entrepreneurship
• Internet of Things (including security)
• Linux
• Mobile application development and deployment
• Network Security
• Protecting websites from web scrapers
• Recruitment Panel - This will be our February monthly meeting
• Security

I would like a take a moment to thank all board members and members who make an effort to join the monthly meetings. I truly appreciate it. I look forward to a good 2017 and hope that we can continue some good work.

Sincerely,
Shawnda Peterson, president
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter
(513) 549-6991
Twitter: @BDPACincinnati

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation (2017)

Frank Hill (Cincinnati State) lead the BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation on January 14, 2017. There were over 30 people in attendance for the orientation including four of our past High School Computer Competition (HSCC) students. BDPA Cincinnati plans to host the computer camp for the next 13 weeks thru April 8, 2017.

Here is the deck that Frank used at the orientation:

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation (2017) from Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio

Frank reminded the audience,

"All, for my 18th consecutive year with BDPA, I got to interact with a new group of talented students with a bright future in front of them. I personally get a lot of energy and hope for the future when I work with young students. I additionally get joy when I see them succeed in life. BDPA can't take all of the credit for this, however, I think we are a building block. Adam Goines, one of our students last year and a freshman at University of Dayton, just got his first patent. Adam's mother who is an administrator at Cincinnati State introduced me to him two years ago. He stopped by my classroom a number of times to discuss technical projects that he was working on. Last year he joined the camp and received our training. We still have discussions on how to use micro-controllers for his projects at the University of Dayton.

For many Black students, we are the next best thing to getting a "leg-up" in a ever increasing technological society. The robot revolution will be in full force within the next five years. The great discussion about how to keep traditional manufacturing jobs in the USA is futile. I say this a lot to my students at Cincinnati State. The entire world is on a path to automation and our population is behind the curve.

I see my role for my remaining time on the earth as helping people, especially young people with the transition. I encourage all of you to make that direct connection with young lives. It makes a big difference in how they turn-out in life. I had people perform that function for me and for the past 40 years, I have had a strong desire to "pay it forward". Lastly BDPA is the organization that performs this function best. I checked!"

You can help these students by making a secure online donation in support of BDPA Cincinnati! We hope you can schedule some time to visit these students over the coming Saturdays. Just click here to let us know you'll be in attendance!

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, November 2016)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. We have a new chapter who leads the nation in BDPA members.... BDPA Detroit.   The chapter ... led by its president, Loraine Stewart-David ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.  The chapter grew by over 27% in  the past year as they continue moving towards the next milestone of having 300 members this year.

We continue to operate under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.   Her team now includes Chad White (Dallas) and Judaea Lane (Memphis).  Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   She realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Loraine Stewart-David * BDPA Detroit President

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
2. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
3. Atlanta - president, Vincent Montgomery
   
4. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
5. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris
   
6. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
7. Milwaukee - president, Allen Baylor
8.  Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
   
9. New York - president, Tyrone McKinney
10. Triangle - president, Carl Hill 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at four.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Detroit, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Chicago each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?

Cincinnati State Technical College Champions BDPA Cincinnati Programs

Cincinnati State Technical College

Cincinnati State Technical College champions BDPA Cincinnati to fulfill its mission to deliver Information Technology (IT) programs within the global technology industry for the next generation of IT leadership. BDPA is the largest African American IT Association in the country and has over 40 chapters across the United States.

Karen Lipscomb, BDPA Cincinnati Chapter VP of Member Services said, "Cincinnati State Technical College has been a staunch champion of BDPA for a number of years, contributing to the chapter financially as well as through the gift of people and equipment resources. We look forward to a continuing relationship in which, through this partnership, we develop and retain IT talent for the greater Cincinnati area."

Cincinnati State Technical College offers more than 130 associate degrees and certificates in nursing and healthcare, engineering technologies, culinary arts, business and information technologies, environmental technologies, humanities and sciences, and a wide range of specialized area.

"We at Cincinnati State are thrilled to help with the technical skill development of Cincinnati Metro area high school and college students. We continue to see students exposed to BDPA Outreach training, then progress and become highly productive members of the local community and society. We enthusiastically embrace the BDPA Motto of “Advancing Careers from The Classroom to The Boardroom," reported Frank Hill, Cincinnati State Adjunct Professor.

For more details on the BDPA corporate sponsorship program, contact the corporate sales support team at (301) 584-3135 ext. 108 or corpsales@bdpa.org. 

Happy Birthday Gina Billings!

Join us in wishing a Happy Birthday to past national BDPA president Gina Billings! Gina served on the national BDPA board of directors from 2002-2009 as BDPA Cincinnati chapter president, national president-elect, national president and immediate past president. Gina is a hard working BDPA leader with an expertise in finances, having served for ten years as the chief financial officer for the BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

Much of my success in BDPA is due to the support of Gina. In September 1998, Gina led an effort with Brenda Hogan, Tina Welch, Marilyn Wilson and myself to rejuvenate BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

The five of us met weekly for the remainder of 1998 putting together the organizational plans and goals for 1999. BDPA Cincinnati chapter went public in January 1999 with our first program meeting in over two years. There were approximately a dozen guests at that initial program meeting and we ended the month with six financially current members.

It's been all good since that day. The chapter has been winning awards at the national level, including 4-time Chapter of the Year (2001-2002, 2004, 2006) and 5-time Runner Up Chapter of the Year (2000, 2005, 2007-2009). Gina had the vision to be a founder of the chapter in 1989 and her vision positively impacted hundreds of students, IT professionals and entrepreneurs in the greater Cincinnati area ever since.


Gina will be a member of the BDPA Hall of Fame at some point in the future. For now, we honor her here in cyberspace. Happy Birthday Gina!

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, September 2016)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA Cincinnati remains the #1 BDPA chapter in the nation.   The chapter ... led by its president,  Shawnda Peterson ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.   It will be interesting to see if the chapter can continue growing towards the next milestone of having 300 members this year.

We continue to operate under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.   Her team now includes Chad White (Dallas) and Judaea Lane (Memphis).  Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   She realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Loraine Stewart-David * BDPA Detroit President

BDPA Detroit was the fastest growing chapter in the nation last month.   It is now the 2nd largest chapter in September 2016.  The chapter is under the leadership of its president, Loraine Stewart-David.  There are a number of positive aspects of this chapter including its willingness to meet on a monthly basis at a local technology center. It is no accident that active efforts within a local BDPA chapter results in more members ... more members results in more membership dues ... which makes it easier to implement more consistent and effect programs and services. How are things going in your local chapter?

BDPA believes in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members.  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
   
3. Atlanta - president, Keith Humphrey
   
4. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
5. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris
   
6. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
7. Milwaukee - president, Carmen Giles
8.  Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
   
9. New York - president, Tyrone McKinney
10. Triangle - president, Carl Hill 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at four.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?