Premier Event Management Connects BDPA to C-Level Executives

BDPA is pleased to announced that Premier Event Management is a corporate sponsor. Premier Event Management is one of the nation’s leading conference producers and is at the forefront of producing IT driven conferences throughout North America. Their mission is to bring together all corners of the technology world, cultivate relationships and advance the IT community through the sharing of ideas. Premier brings together many of the world’s largest IT suppliers and IT executives to create a beneficial atmosphere for all.

Marc Di Francisco

BDPA Philadelphia chapter leaders Eileen Gadsden and Monique Berry recently attended a CIO Conference hosted by Premier Event Management. They met a number of IT leaders that agree with the BDPA mission of advancing the careers of African Americans in the IT industry from the classroom to the boardroom.

It is worth noting that Mark Di Francisco, Premier Event Management president, is the honorary chair of the 36th annual BDPA Technology Conference being held August 5-9, 2014 in Indianapolis.

To become a sponsor like Premier Event or to learn more about BDPA sponsorship opportunities, please contact BDPA Corporate Sales Team by email (corpsales@bdpa.org) or phone (301.584-3135 x108)

Wordless Wednesday: BDPA Northeast Region Leadership

OSIsoft Sponsors BDPA Philadelphia

BDPA is pleased to announce that OSIsoft is on board as a corporate supporter. The company made investment in programs and services of our BDPA Philadelphia chapter. In addition the company is sending one of its group leaders to the 36th annual BDPA Technology Conference on August 5-9, 2014 in Indianapolis.

OSIsoft, founded in 1980, is headquartered in San Leandro, CA, with operations worldwide. The company delivers the PI System®, the industry standard in enterprise infrastructure, for management of real-time data and events. With installations in 107 countries spanning the globe, the OSIsoft PI System is used in manufacturing, energy, utilities, life sciences, data centers, facilities, and the process industries. The PI System enables users to manage assets, mitigate risks, comply with regulations, improve processes, drive innovation, make business decisions in real-time, and to identify competitive business and market opportunities.

The BDPA account manager for OSIsoft is Eileen Gadsden. For more information about the BDPA corporate sales program you can call (513.584-3135 x108) or email the organization.

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BDPA State of the Chapter (Philadelphia, January 2014)

BDPA Philadelphia hosted its annual 'State of the Chapter' meeting in last month. Featured speakers included BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden, National BDPA president Dr. Craig Brown and National BDPA founder Earl Pace. Enjoy this video clip from that meeting:

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Eileen Gadsden Accepts Nomination for Office of BDPA Northeast Regional Vice President

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden is a hard-working woman! She owns her own strategic branding company, E-Region Enterprises. Gadsden still wants to do more. She accepted the nomination for BDPA Northeast Region Vice President which would place her on the National BDPA Board of Directors in 2014-2015.

Prior to serving as a local chapter president, Gadsden served BDPA Philadelphia for three years as vice president of strategy and planning. She also served as the national co-chairperson of the BDPA Entrepreneurial Advisory Group.

Gadsden's plan is to assist the local chapters in the BDPA Northeast region - Baltimore, Boston Metrowest, Hartford, New Jersey, New York, Northern Delaware, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and Washington DC - reach their strategic goals by increasing membership, corporate support and community engagement.

"It has been a great honor to work in Philadelphia as an educator an influencer in the information technology space. I am looking forward to the next challenge of bringing the BDPA vision to reduce the digital divide both at the academic and professional level throughout the northeast region of our nation." said Eileen Gadsden.

Eileen holds a MBA from Penn State University and a BS from St. Joseph's University. She was honorably discharged after serving 12 years in the United States Army Reserves. Earlier this year Ms. Gadsden was recognized as one of the most influential Philadelphia women by the NAACP Philadelphia Branch for her work with BDPA. Her passion for the chapter's youth technology program was documented in a documentary published by CBS Philly called, 'Brotherly Love: Teaching Tech High School Kids'.

The election results will be announced at the 35th annual National BDPA Technology Conference taking place August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC.

BDPA Philadelphia Chapter President Receives Local NAACP Honor

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden was honored by the NAACP Philadelphia as one of 104 Most Influential Women at an awards ceremony held March 24, 2013 in Philadelphia.

104 deserving women were chosen from the ranks of elected officials, entrepreneurs, non-profits, civic leaders, educators, labor leaders, members of the clergy, media, health care providers, government agency leaders, corporate America leaders, community leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs. Eileen was commended for her work as a community leader.  Eileen shared the following comment about the honor,

"I was surprised, humbled, and overjoyed by the idea of sharing such an accolade with 103 talented, driven and accomplished women. I am truly encouraged and will continue the work of BDPA to inspire students and professionals to pursue IT and other STEM related careers to reduce the digital divide and to secure our place as innovators and decision-makers in this global marketplace."

I encourage BDPA members to do their part in honoring Eileen by making a secure online donation to her fundraiser that supports college scholarships for High School Computer Competition students in Philadelphia.   Eileen is one of the hardest working BDPA members in the nation.  Please visit her fundraiser and make a donation today!

Deloitte Invests in BDPA Silver Level Corporate Sponsorship

Built on the principles of leadership through excellence, Deloitte recently joined the growing list of Silver Level Corporate Sponsors for the 35th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair titled, “Diverse Opportunities In The Age of Convergence” on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Pamela Sexton

Pamela Sexton, National BDPA Conference Director stated,

“I'm very excited that Deloitte has renewed their partnership with BDPA. They have been a long time partner that has contributed to the success of our National BDPA Conference and our strategic goals. We look forward to 2013 and beyond. Thank you Deloitte for your renewed partnership."

Recognized for global expertise in audit, consulting, financial advisory, tax services, and risk management, Deloitte’s income in 2012 reached $13.07 billion. Since 1998, Deloitte continues to be recognized as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” according to FORTUNE magazine. This year, Deloitte won four top prizes at the Association of Management Consulting Firms awards ceremony in Growth Strategies, Supply Chain Performance Improvement, Human Capital, and Humanitarian categories.

"BDPA Philadelphia is appreciative of the strong corporate support we have received from Deloitte,” said Eileen Gadsden, BDPA Philadelphia chapter president. “We are thankful to our corporate champions Larry Quinlan, Deloitte chief information officer, and Hayward West, BDPA Philadelphia chapter past president, for ensuring we have not only financial support, but the time and talent of their world-class staff,” she added.

As a global member-focused technology organization with 46 active chapters in the United States, BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support, and services for youth and adult Information Technology (IT) professionals. BDPA is honored to partner with a world class organization such as Deloitte.

For more information on the benefits of BDPA corporate sponsorship, contact Wayne Hicks, Director, Corporate Sales Department, corpsales@bdpa.org, (301) 584-3135.

Brotherly Love: Teaching Tech to High School Kids

Repost from CBS affiliate in Philadelphia!



By Ukee Washington

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – President Obama has been encouraging high school students to major in engineering, science, or math. Now, a group of minority tech professionals has decided to take that one step further by giving weekend lessons to the next generation.

In a computer lab at DeVry University in Center City, students are practicing the finer points of computer coding.

Daneel Douglas, a senior at Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School, joked, “They say there are two different kinds of people in this world: those that know binary and those that don’t. And I can say I know binary!”

Every computer runs on zeros and ones, but someone has to tell it what to do. That’s what these students are learning at this free programming class held every Saturday morning by tech professional organization BDPA, which stands for Black Data Processing Associates.

Eileen Gadsden

“We don’t think they’re going to be programmers over the 44-week course,” said Eileen Gadsden, president of BDPA Philadelphia. “What we want them to do is like it enough that they choose it in college, and then make it a profession.”

BDPA Philadelphia encourages STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math.

Phillip Easton, a senior at Central High School, said, “I want to either be an accountant or go into computer science.”

“I wasn’t really into computers at first, but then I noticed it can get me a lot of opportunities,” said Jasmine Beard, a junior at Central High School.

Jerry Wargo, the campus president of DeVry University Philadelphia, said, “It’s just a perfect fit for them to come in on Saturday morning, when most kids are sleeping, and practice and learn.”

Tech professionals volunteer to teach the students, who help each other, too.

Norman Morrison, a senior at Philadelphia Military Academy, said, “If you need help coding something, you just ask your neighbor.”

James Gadsden went through the program in high school. “It’s kind of, in a way, like school. You have to make sure you keep up with your assignments,” he said.

Now, James uses those skills at the Community College of Philadelphia, where he is studying mass media communications, thanks at least in part to those Saturday mornings in the lab.

The students will also compete at a national technology competition later this year.

So far, 100 percent of the students in the program have gone on to college.

To find out more about BDPA, visit: www.BDPAPhilly.org

Curtis Jenkins Named Outstanding Member of the Year in Philadelphia

Curtis Jenkins is the recipient of the 2011 Wintino Jones Memorial Award for Outstanding Member of the Year. Curtis was awarded for his many years of dedicated service to the Philadelphia Chapter.

The award was presented to him by BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden (see photo) during the State of the Chapter Program Meeting held on Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

Message from Philadelphia Chapter President

Greetings!

Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year.

We hope you can join us for our State of the Chapter Program Meeting on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 6 p.m. This year keynote address will be presented by Tommy Jones, CIO of the City of Philadelphia - "Engaging a Mobile Public".

Sincerely,
Eileen Gadsden, president
BDPA Philadelphia Chapter

Message from Philadelphia Chapter President

In a few short weeks, I will have the honor to serve as the next president of BDPA Philadelphia Chapter (4-time National Chapter of the Year). I would not have been inspired to embark on this journey without the leadership, support and guidance from Philadelphia’s past presidents: Howard James, Donald Campbell, Curtis Jenkins, Monique Berry, Hayward West and Ron Cureton.

I would also like to thank Wayne Hicks (BETF executive director), Milt Haynes (BDPA chief information officer), and Earl Pace (BDPA founder) who were also instrumental in my decision.

Finally, I would like to thank Charlie Perkins (BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter president) and Perry Carter (BDPA Washington DC chapter president) for their counsel as Philadelphia works aggressively to build a stronger Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

I look forward to carrying on the BDPA mission to 'Advance Careers from the Classroom to the Boardroom'!

Sincerely,
Eileen Gadsden, 2012-2013 president
BDPA Philadelphia Chapter

BDPA Philadelphia Supports Pennsylvania MESA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

BDPA seeks to advance the careers of African Americans in the Information Technology (IT) industry from the classroom to the boardroom. An important element of that process is ensuring that our young people have exposure and experience to as many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs as possible.

As such, it was a no-brainer for our BDPA Philadelphia chapter leadership to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nationally-recognized Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) initiative in Pennsylvania. MESA is an academic preparation program for K-12, community college and university-level students that was originally created in 1970. The program provides academic support to students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds throughout the education pathway so they will excel in math and science and ultimately attain four-year degrees in STEM fields. The program has successfully been replicated in over a dozen other states.

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden and chapter vice president Charles Ireland attended the ribbon cutting ceremony held on August 27th at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. There are over 50 students enrolled in MESA ... and our hope is that some of them will find their way to BDPA over the coming weeks and months. We also want to ensure that BDPA students are fully aware of MESA as an option for their consideration in the future.

"It was a truly awesome event to see so many students committed to studying medicine, engineering and technology," said BDPA president Gadsden.

A number of other dignitaries were at the event, including Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, past BDPA conference keynoter and current chief of Naval operations Admiral Gary Roughead, special assistant to the CNO for diversity Dr. Cynthia Macri and Temple University's Dr. Jamie Bracey.

Admiral Roughead spoke about the Navy's ability to have a global impact due to a strong educational foundation and its continued efforts to stay on the forefront of technological advances.

Our BDPA leaders at the event were able to cultivate some strategic relationships that will result in an expansion of the chapter's 2012 Student IT Education and Scholarship (SITES) program to include cyber-security and healthcare components.

This blog encourages BDPA chapters in California and Maryland to follow the lead of BDPA Philadelphia. Make a connection with California MESA or Maryland MESA. Once you've made the connection ... follow the lead of BDPA Philadelphia chapter and find a way to get engaged with MESA. It is a wonderful opportunity for a STEM-based strategic alliance!

HSCC Testimonial: James Gadsden (Philadelphia, 2007-2009)

BDPA Philadelphia chapter has been part of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program for over 20 years. Over 100 high school students have gone through the program. One of those students is James Gadsden. James was part of the Philadelphia chapter teams that competed for the National BDPA HSCC Championship in 2007 (Washington DC), 2008 (Atlanta) and 2009 (Raleigh).

James shared his thoughts on BDPA with us:

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My time in the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program as a student was an amazing experience. I can definitely say that I've grown from being involved in the program. When I first began the program, I was very shy and reserved and nervous about the entire aspect of the program and eventually, the competition.

I became more and more comfortable with the various aspects of the program and more confident in myself after my first year.

The second and third years that I spent in the program were my favorite. I learned so much and was able to incorporate what I learned from the program into my other endeavors like school and work.

I returned to BDPA Philadelphia chapter to serve as an assistant HSCC coordinator after I graduated from high school. I helped prepare the students for the competition. I am grateful for everything that the mentors, coordinators and guests have taught me throughout the years.

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James has a powerful BDPA legacy. His aunt, Eileen Gadsden, will be BDPA Philadelphia chapter president in 2011-2012. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is working to see that the future students from BDPA Philadelphia chapter earn a college scholarship. Our hope is that you will help us 'make it so'.

Election Results: BDPA Philadelphia (2010-2011)

BDPA Philadelphia, founded in April 1976, is fondly known as THE Chapter. Many awards have flowed to BDPA Philadelphia over the years, including Chapter Membership Award (1992, 2007), Chapter Management Award (2008), Chapter Community Service Award (2009), Comeback Chapter of the Year (2002), 2nd Runner-Up Chapter of the Year (1992) and the highest award possible ... Chapter of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009).

Two national awards won by Philadelphia chapter members are Outstanding Member (Howard James, 1992) and Outstanding Chapter President (Monique Berry, 2009). Philadelphia chapter members Earl Pace, Mary Anne Lowery and Monique Berry each elected to serve as a national officer.

The next phase of accomplishments for BDPA Philadelphia chapter will occur over the next two years under the leadership of its newly elected officers:

• President - Hayward West (Deloitte)
• President-Elect - Eileen Gadsden (CDW)
• VP-Finance - Cedric Edwards (CIGNA)

BDPA Philadelphia is 3-time defending chapter of the Year. Hayward, Eileen, Cedric and the other chapter leaders want to add to that streak. Will they?