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 Declination: Waste Management Charitable Foundation (BDPA Detroit)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Detroit chapter had our grant proposal declined by Waste Management Charitable Foundation. We had sought $5,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

Waste Management wrote us:

---

Hello Wayne,

Thank you for extending the invitation to Waste Management to be involved with Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We truly appreciate you taking time to reach out to us.

We receive thousands of requests a year from qualified causes, and unfortunately, we are not able to fund all of them. Although your effort is of great value to the community, we are not able to participate at this time.

Thank you for the work you do and best wishes!

---

BETF is willing to work with BDPA Detroit and the other 45 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, 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: McGregor Fund (BDPA Detroit)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Detroit chapter to submit a grant proposal to McGregor Fund 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: Skillman Foundation (Detroit)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the BDPA Detroit chapter to submit a grant proposal to Skillman Foundation 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 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.

Alexia Arthur Uses her Johnson & Johnson Scholarship at Purdue University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Johnson & Johnson awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to nine (9) students. One of those students is Alexia Arthur, from Detroit, who will use the scholarship to support her study of computer information & technology at Purdue University.

Alexia Arthur

Alexia Arthur is currently a sophomore at Purdue University and a part of the university's Honors College. She is double majoring in Cybersecurity and Computer Information Technology. Alexia serves as a BoilerMENTOR who helps the transition to Purdue for freshmen within the school’s Polytechnic Institute. She recently completed an Internship at Yazaki North America serving as a Software Engineer. At Yazaki, Alexia programmed and tested clusters for GM’s Chevy Malibu and Chevy Cruze. As an android application developer, Alexia hopes to release one of her applications on the Play Store. Once Alexia graduates from Purdue she wants to have a career involving application security. After she is settled within her career Alexia plans on starting a scholarship fund for girls that want to major in a STEM field.

We asked Alexia to share her thoughts on BDPA:

"I had the opportunity to become a member of BDPA this year and I am truly grateful. BDPA has served as an avenue for networking and scholarships, which I appreciate. The highlight of my experience so far has been interviewing for an IT summer internship position with Johnson and Johnson. J&J is a company that takes pride in making the everyday lives of people easier, so to have the opportunity to possibly receive a position there is amazing. Ultimately, the interview itself would never have happened if I did not receive the Johnson and Johnson scholarship through BDPA. Not only did BDPA pave the way for a possible internship, but the organization made receiving a scholarship to help pay for my tuition possible."

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented student as a winner of the Johnson & Johnson Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Alexia's career as she seeks to start career in technology!

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?

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?

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?

2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Chicago. We had 19 teams competing in 2011. The 2011 HSCC Champion were from BDPA Southern Minnesota and they earned $1,500 Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for attending college. They beat out the student members from BDPA Detroit and BDPA Atlanta.

The winning HSCC team from Rochester MN included: Zakaria Ahmed, Hassan Hassan, Daniel Sheppard, Herchran Singh and Adwait Walimbe.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to note that we provided financial support to over half of the HSCC teams that competed this year ... including the Bemley Scholarshps provided to the top five (5) performing chapters in the national HSCC championships.

Here are the rankings for all 19 teams that competed in 2011 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

2011 Southern Minnesota HSCC Team

1. Southern Minnesota ($1,500 Bemley Scholarship for each student)
2. Detroit ($1,000 each)
3. Columbus ($500 each)
4. Atlanta ($500 each)
5. Twin Cities ($500 each)
6. Washington DC
7. St. Louis
8. Indianapolis
9. New Jersey
10. Chicago
11. Charlotte
12. Richmond
13. Cincinnati
14. Los Angeles
15. Middle Tennessee
16. Triangle
17. Greater Columbia
18. Philadelphia
19. Dallas

Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

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?

Long Story Short: Loraine Stewart-David (BDPA Detroit Chapter President)

Loraine Stewart-David

Loraine Stewart-David is a contractual CFO/Financial Analyst with one of Michigan’s top fortune financial companies. She is also a contractual Senior Level Healthcare Finance Comptroller, providing both operational and programmatic support to four local health care facilities. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Master’s Degree in Finance and is also a Certified Management Accountant.

She has been proudly affiliated with BDPA Detroit Chapter since 1992, bringing her unique strengths, talents and contributions to the Chapter.  She has served six consecutive terms as BDPA Detroit Chapter VP-Finance. In addition, Loraine served as National BDPA VP-Finance. Providing her organizational and analytical skills, she is elated at the opportunity to currently hold the role of BDPA Detroit Chapter President. She has a proven reputation for results-driven solutions that increase the bottom line. She is proficient in the development and implementation of financial policies, providing credible financial analyses, and decision making to preserve the financial position and performance of BDPA Detroit.

This blog wanted to get a more personal look into the personality of this rising BDPA leader. We asked Loraine to give brief answers to some odd questions. We hope you enjoy this new feature that we simply call, 'Long Story Short...'

1. Favorite Way to de-stress after a long week? Shop for shoes and nail polish!
 
2. How you kill time in airports? I spend my time at the Delta Airlines Sky Club lounge. I can eat, drink, relax, read and sleep while waiting on my flight.
 
3. Simple things that make you happiest? Paying it forward; Seeing other people happy!
 
4. Who You'd Like to Meet? I would like to meet the handsome singer, El Debarge
 

We're not sure if Loraine will have a chance to meet El DeBarge in person ... but, she can listen to 'All This Love'!

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, August 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 are very happy to see that National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen has been asked by the current administration to stay on in her leadership role.  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 Atlanta HSCC Team (2016 Champions)

BDPA Atlanta chapter held its place as the 2nd largest chapter in August 2016.   Not only is the chapter growing its membership it is also winning the national High School Computer Competition with Noah Armstead, Wilfred Powell, Cameron Reaves, Malik Saafir and Saket Shirsath.   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. Congratulations to BDPA Dallas chapter for moving into this month's Top 10 list!  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, Chicago, Detroit 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?

Amber Young Uses Fiat Chrysler Automotive Scholarship at University of Maryland

Amber Young * Michigan State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Fiat Chrysler Automobile awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to four (4) students. One of those students is Amber Young of University of Maryland.

Amber recently joined our BDPA Detroit chapter. When asked to share her thoughts on being a FCA scholar, Amber wrote,

"My name is Amber Young and I am a senior at Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I am interested in a career in neuroscience. During the summer of 2015 I worked as a BDPA intern at Trinity Health Corporation in Livonia, Michigan. I worked in the IT Project Management Office supporting an electronic medical record project for St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. This internship provided me with an opportunity to learn about project management in an information technology implementation/ I also was able to meet senior management across the enterprise and physician staff at Saint Mary’s Hospital.

While attending the BDPA national conference in Washington, DC I learned about computer technology, coding and media development. I learned about future career possibilities in computer science and its growing importance in the era of technology. My favorite part of this experience was 3D printing. I learned the applications of 3D printing in engineering and biomedicine. I used TinkerCAD software to develop my own 3Ddesign of a biosensor. Biosensors are devices that detect a biological analyte by converting specific entities such as DNA and proteins into an electrical signal that can be measured in biomarkers as evidence of disease. Biosensing technology provides efficient, accurate detection of diseases and determines drug effectiveness. My experience at the conference has helped me better understand ways that technology can be used in life science."

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented technology student on board as both a member and as winner of the FCA Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Amber's career as she seeks to advance in the technology industry!

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, January 2016)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA Cincinnati remains the #1 BDPA chapter in the nation for the tenth month in a row.   The chapter ... led by its new 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 are very happy to see that National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen has been asked by the current administration to stay on in her leadership role.  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 had a great month in January as they grew their chapter by over 18% in that single month.  As a result  the chapter moved up in the national rankings to become the 3rd-largest in the nation.  The chapter president, Loraine Stewart-David, takes over a chapter with a powerful legacy.  Her chapter recently announced four winners (Gerald Curtis, Austin Little, Nicole Middleton and Amber Young) of the Fiat Chrysler Automobile Scholarship administered by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.  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. Congratulations to BDPA Dallas chapter for moving into this month's Top 10 list!  Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
3. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David (up 1 slot from last month)
4. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown (down 1 slot)
   
5. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
   
6. New York - president, Tyrone McKinney
7. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris (up 1 slot)
8. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter (down 1 slot)
9. Milwaukee - president, Carmen Giles
10.  Dallas - president, Chad White (up 2 slots)

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at six.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia 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?

Fiat Chrysler Automotive Scholar: Austin Little (Morehouse College)

Austin Little

The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Scholarship for BDPA Students is intended to provide financial assistance to a graduating high school senior or college pursuing a degree in Information Technology (IT) or an IT related discipline. FCA agreed to work with BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to award four $2,500 scholarships in 2016. One of the scholarships is going to Austin Little, a junior at Morehouse College, majoring in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering.

Throughout his college career, Austin has conducted research at Cornell University on efficient materials for Magneto-Restrictive Random Access Memory. In addition, he worked with Georgia Institute of Technology in computational fluid dynamics using numerical analysis techniques.

This scholarship is limited to BDPA students. Austin Little participated in the 2011 and 2012 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship representing the city of Detroit. His team took home the silver medal in 2012.

2012 HSCC Team (Austin on the far right)

We asked Austin about his thoughts on his BDPA experience.

He wrote, "There is no single memory that serves as my testimony to BDPA. This organization has helped me grow as a future IT professional as well as establish lifelong personal relationships with people interested in the IT industry that look just like me."

Austin will stay in Atlanta this summer at the Georgia Institute of Technology developing a machine learning algorithm to automatically alert a wheelchair bound person when she needs to readjust seating positions. Upon graduation Austin wants to work in the field of Big Data Analytics.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, November 2015)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA Cincinnati remains the #1 BDPA chapter in the nation for the eighth month in a row.   The chapter ... led by its president, Dalric Webb ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.   The chapter seeks to reach its goal of 300 members by the end of the year!

National BDPA VP-Membership Management (VPMM) Mildred Allen meets on a monthly basis with the local chapter VPMMs.    Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.  Currently BDPA has higher level of membership then it did coming into the calendar year.   We need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

David Malonson

BDPA Los Angeles had a great month in November as they grew their chapter by over 25% in that single month.  As a result  the chapter moved up in the national rankings to become the 17th-largest in the nation.  The chapter president, David Malonson, has been a remarkable leader.  He shared some of his insights with us back in 2010.  BDPA Los Angeles chapter is very strong in terms of the programs and services provided for both adult members and student members. 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, Dalric Webb 
2. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
3. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown
   
4. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore
   
5. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
   
6.  New York - president, Tyrone McKinney
   
7. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
8. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris 
9. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney 
10. Milwaukee - president, Carmen Giles 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at six.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia 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.

Our national president, Pamela Mathews, 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?

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, October 2015)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA Cincinnati remains the #1 BDPA chapter in the nation for the seventh month in a row.   The chapter ... led by its president, Dalric Webb ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.   The chapter seeks to reach its goal of 300 members by the end of the year!

National BDPA VP-Membership Management (VPMM) Mildred Allen meets on a monthly basis with the local chapter VPMMs.    Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.  Currently BDPA has higher level of membership then it did coming into the calendar year.   We need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Michael Wulf

BDPA Midwest Region (vice president, Michael Wulf) is dominating the Top 10 list this month. Five chapters in that region are in the top 10 (Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee). BDPA Northeast Region (vice president Fred Smith) is also doing well with four chapters in the top 10 (Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, New Jersey). Each of these nine chapters is very strong in terms of the programs and services provided for both adult members and student members. 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, Dalric Webb 
2. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
3. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown (moved up 1 spot since last month)
4. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore  (dropped down 1 spot)
5. Philadelphia - president, Eileen Gadsden (moved up 1 spot)
6.  New York - president, Tyrone McKinney (dropped down 1 spot)
7. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
8. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris 
9. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney 
10. Milwaukee - president, Carmen Giles 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at six.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia 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.

Our national president, Pamela Mathews, 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?