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?

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?

Program Meeting: 'Behind the Scene of Indy Women in Tech' (BDPA Indianapolis)

Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Indianapolis October Meeting “Behind the Scene of Indy Women in Tech with former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard” was attended by over 250 invitees, including a sizable number of women at Lilly Corporate Center in Downtown.

Mayor Ballard joined a moderated session to share vision, mission and programs of Indy Women In Tech (IWIT) and synergies between BDPA and IWIT.

BDPA National President-Elect Terry Morris, BDPA Board members, world renowned artist and interfaith leader and winners of numerous international and national awards Kanwal Prakash Singh (KP), Accenture Accounts Executive and Asian American Alliace Board member Rupal Thanawala, Lilly Chief Information Officer Dr Aarti Shah and tennis professional Parveen Kumar were among those who attended the meeting. Mrs Rupal Thanawala was the moderater.

Mr Ballard explained various schemes, including awarding scholarships to deserving ones, to promote region’s standing in the science and technology industries. He emphasized on narrowing the gap between men and women entering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers remain one of his top priorities. Regarding the STEM exposure, Mr Ballard recalled that 600 girls from six Indian Public Schools and Warren Township Schools got the STEM exposure at the "Ignite Your Superpower" event hosted by Indy Women in Tech through a partnership with Women and Hi Tech and Conner Prairie in Indianapolis University in August.

Women are really doing good job in their fields. But we want to make sure that these young girls have opportunity in future. Middle level is very important because it is the pipeline and these young girls become women of tomorrow. If the women are not entering into tech, problem of filling the open tech job opportunities will go somewhere else.

The BDPA Indianapolis Chapter, is one of over 45 chapters across the country that is established to fulfill the mission of our National organization, aims to advance IT professionals’, entrepreneurs’ and students’ careers from the classroom to the boardroom. The chapter provides opportunities to promote professional development and administer student programs to help high school students gain knowledge, skills and competitive experiences in Information Technology.

Read the full article on Punjab News Express.

BCforward Sponsors BDPA Indianapolis Chapter

National BDPA is honored to have global Information Technology consulting firm BCforward as a Silver Level sponsor. BCforward is also a workforce fulfillment company that provides services and resources for leading businesses and government organizations. Their sponsorship sustains support of BDPA’s diverse membership of professionals and students at all levels in the fields of information technology, computer science and related STEM fields.

Justin Christian

BCforward has become part of the communities in which they operate and is a trusted business partner, employer and charitable contributor. BCforward believes that continued success includes being a good corporate citizen through giving back to the communities where their employees work and live.

BCforward CEO Justin Christian stated, “BCforward is proud to support our local BDPA chapter. We hope these funds will continue to propel STEM programs in our underrepresented communities.”

For over 40 years, BDPA has enabled the upward mobility of minorities in technology from the classroom to the boardroom. The organization was founded in 1975 by Earl Pace and David Wimberly to close the digital divide for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. BDPA has over 40 chapters nationwide and offers more than $100,000 in scholarships annually to hundreds of high school and college students who wish to pursue STEM careers.

Delano Robinson

BDPA Indianapolis Chapter President Delano Robinson stated, "BCforward has continued to show great partnership with BDPA via investment in several forms. We are extremely excited about their energy to help us push the organization to new levels from a strategy and positioning perspective."

For more details on the BDPA corporate sponsorship program, please 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, 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 Pharmaceutical Company Eli Lilly and Company Continues Diversity Commitment to BDPA

Eli Lilly and Company, one of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies and one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies recently renewed its Gold Level sponsorship commitment to BDPA to increase diversity by creating opportunities in the industry.

Mike Williams

National BDPA President Mike Williams said, "Eli Lilly continues to be an invaluable partner and sponsor for BDPA. They continue to distinguish themselves as champions of workforce diversity through their actions and financial commitment."

Lilly is a global health care leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. For more than a century, they have stayed true to a core set of values—excellence, integrity, and respect for people -- that guide them in all they do: discovering medicines that meet real needs, improving the understanding and management of disease, and giving back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

Tim Coleman

One of Eli Lilly’s many principle commitments is respect for people. "We are proud to again partner with and support BDPA. The organization’s work to ensure a diverse talent pipeline for the future and to encourage young people to explore careers in science and technology aligns with our beliefs at Lilly,” stated Tim Coleman, Eli Lilly and Company Senior Director. “Education is so vital to creating the professionals who will contribute to the discovery of innovative medicines of the future," he added.

Eli Lilly and Company is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. They have been strong sponsors and examples to others in the city. BDPA Indianapolis Chapter continues to provide opportunities to promote professional development and administer student programs to help high school students gain knowledge, skills and competitive experiences in Information Technology. The chapter has remarkable accomplishments in 2016, including: 2016 Chapter of the Year, 2nd & 3rd Place College IT Showcase Winners (4 participants), 1st & 2nd Place High School Mobile Showcase Winners, 2 Students won iPads and several students were awarded scholarships.

Terry Morris

Terry Morris, BDPA Indianapolis Chapter President stated, “As President of the Indianapolis Chapter of BDPA, I am once again proud to stay thank you and recognize Eli Lilly and Company for its sustained commitment to BDPA and its pledge to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. Eli Lilly has been the most tenured and consistent sponsor of our local chapter’s youth and professional development efforts. Their sponsorship, and more importantly, their willingness to allow their leaders to play a significant role in the leadership and execution of the chapter played a key role in the Indianapolis chapter being named the 2016 Chapter of the Year.”

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. Additionally, please visit www.bdpa.org.

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?

Lauren Ravenell Earns 2016 Lilly Scholarship for Ball State University

Lauren Ravenell * Ball State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with Eli Lilly & Company to confirm Lauren Ravenell as a winner of the 10th annual Eli Lilly & Company Scholarship for BDPA Students. There were three winners of this scholarship. Lauren is a wonderful person to win this prestigious scholarship.

During high school Lauren was a varsity athlete in Track and Field and Golf. She was also involved in various extracurricular activities such as Student Government and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was also on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team for BDPA Indianapolis chapter throughout her four years of high school. She graduated from Westfield High School with a 3.667 GPA and over one hundred hours of community service.

Now she is a sophomore at Ball State University, majoring in Telecommunications with a minor in Computer Science and Spanish. She finished her freshman year at Ball State on the Dean’s List. She was a member of the Black Student Association and Excellence in Leadership. She also enjoyed her time on a student-driven cooking show. This was one of her favorite experiences because Lauren was able to work behind the scenes of a production and learn from my peers as well as mentors. Now, Lauren is a participant in the PhD Pathways Mentoring Program. Upon graduation, she plans to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration and afterwards she will seek a PhD.

We asked for Lauren to share her thoughts on BDPA:

Lauren at the IT Showcase

"This past year I participated in the IT Showcase at the 2016 BDPA Technology Conference. In previous years I was a member of the Indianapolis Chapter HSCC Team. The transition from the high school program to the college level program created many opportunities for growth. From participating in the Showcase I was able to gain more experience in research and presentation skills. During the conference I was able to network, take more advantage of the career fair and gain interview experience. The career fair also granted me with increased opportunities for internships.

Lauren is a remarkable young woman. BDPA looks forward to following her career as she progresses through college and on into her career! You can follow Lauren on Twitter: @lauren_ravenell.

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?

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?

Darren Young Uses Rackspace Scholarship at Purdue University

Darren Young * Purdue University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Rackspace awarded a $1,000 college scholarship to two (2) students.   One of those students is Darren Young of Purdue University.  Rackspace is the #1 managed cloud company, helps businesses tap the power of cloud computing without the complexity and cost of managing it on their own.

Darren recently joined our BDPA Indianapolis chapter. When asked to share his thoughts on being a Rackspace scholar, Darren wrote,

"Ever since I began participating in the BDPA IT Showcase and attending the BDPA conference, I have felt a whole new level of inspiration and motivation diving into my IT professional career. The most impactful moments for me have been getting a chance to hear technical sessions lead by African American men and women in tech, as well as getting feedback from African American men and women in tech on how I can better myself. Going to a predominantly white institution, it is not often that I get to see successful men and women who look like me, and those numbers drop even lower when I look for these mentors in the field of technology. BDPA has given me further confidence that I have chosen the right industry and career path by allowing me to engage with students in my field, solve challenging technical research projects, and giving me access to a pool of top minority mentors in the field of technology. I am looking forward to finishing out my last few years going to the BDPA conferences as an undergrad and then going back when I am a full time employee somewhere."

Darren is currently a Junior at Purdue University studying Information Systems and Computer Information Technology. He has had a passion for working with Technology since middle school solving his parents “turn it off and turn it back on” questions. But he has gotten a chance to validate that passion with his past 2 internships in General Electric’s Digital leadership program. He spent last summer in a Data Analytics role, and this past summer he got to explore in the DevOps and cloud space.

Aside from work Darren stays very active on campus as the President of the Society of Minority Managers. He is also the co-founder and vice president for the Purdue Club Basketball Team. Darren believes that information technology is a powerful tool that can be used to make life easier and is a revolutionary necessity for every business. He strives to master business and technology tactics and merge his knowledge of the two giants to add value to a company and make the world we live in convenient, pleasant, connected and productive.

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented technology student on board as both a member and as winner of the 1st Annual Rackspace Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Darren's career as he 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?

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?