Rod Robinson Wins 2015 BDPA Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution

Rod Robinson * ConnXus

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across three categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Outstanding Technical Contribution. This honor is reserved for individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical industry, business or technical problem.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Rod Robinson has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution. His nomination was submitted by Information Technology manager Feoshia Davis (ConnXus). Feoshia wrote,

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"ConnXus’ Founder and CEO Rod Robinson takes a holistic approach to the supplier diversity arena. By providing a full suite of solutions, this business model acts as a one-stop-shop for corporations looking to find, communicate with, engage and measure their supplier diversity initiatives.

For procurement officers, it’s difficult and expensive to find qualified diverse suppliers. For minority- and women-owned business, it is difficult to make the right corporate connections. And it’s nearly impossible for both groups to find high quality, reliable and forward-thinking technology solutions.

ConnXus is solving those problems through our SaaS-based procurement platform that provides major corporations with a fully integrated supplier-diversity technology solution. The ConnXus platform provides organizations with a turnkey solution for efficiently managing all aspects of their corporate supplier diversity processes. From targeted supplier outreach, validation and data management to spend tracking & reporting. Our scalable platform also matches buyers and qualified suppliers based on profile compatibility.

Our patent-pending software-as-a-service platform TierTracker that allows a ConnXus client to aggregate the diversity spend of identified Prime vendors for the purposes of reporting supply chain activity with diverse vendors."

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BDPA is very proud to honor the works of Rod Robinson! We are glad that he won this 2015 Epsilon Award!

Norman Phillips Wins 2015 BDPA Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution

Norman Phillips * Epsilon Award Winner

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across three categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Outstanding Technical Contribution. This honor is reserved for individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical industry, business or technical problem.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Norman Phillips has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution. His nomination was submitted by Information Technology manager Babacar Guisse (Procter & Gamble). He wrote,

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Norman received the P&G Global Business Services Excellence Award for his work as the Lead Architect for Video Collaboration Services, which delivered $70M in travel savings. He is also the Technical Lead on the effort to move P&G to the cloud and a member of the Design Team for the 'Bring Your Own PC' solution. Norman has established his equity as the go-to technical expert for any Innovation and technical challenge.

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BDPA is very proud to honor the works of Norman Phillips! We are glad that he won this 2015 Epsilon Award!

Sharon Shaw Wins 2015 BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for people who have significant demonstration, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Sharon Shaw has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Community Service. She was a protocol officer for the Navy Information Dominance Forces. Her nomination was submitted by Lt. Duane Motley, commander, US Naval Forces. He wrote,

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"Ms. Shaw’s impressive managerial capability, positive leadership, and exception attitude propel her as a role model for military, civilian, and youths and capture the true spirit of community service. She is a superb leader who sets the standards that inspire and motivate peers and subordinates to excel.

Since 2000, she has unselfishly led NCTAMS LANT’s award winning (local and federal level) Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) mentoring program that promotes stability by providing 9-12 year olds the life skills necessary to deter at-risk behaviors associated with substance abuse, gangs, and other negative influences. DEFY develops youth through drug education, leadership, character development, positive role model mentoring, and community outreach to enhance quality of life for military personnel and their families. Each year 90+ youth participants and 120 mentors, guest speakers, and community leaders spent over 5,250 hours mentoring the kids. Organized volunteers to participate in three community relations events to promote DEFY.

Additionally, she is the Interim First Vice President and Second Vice President of the Newport News-Hampton Chapter of the Continental Societies, an organization dedicated to creating environments that empower children to have access to quality and appropriate opportunities to reach their optimal potential. Ms. Shaw and the Continentals spent over 3,000 raising funds for scholarships (10 $1000 scholarships); supported the Program for Educating Exception Preschoolers providing monthly donations of diapers, underwear, socks and soap powder to local children; donated 11 boxes of diapers, underwear, and socks; partnered with the Newport News Police Department and Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board to provide book bags and school supplies to 2,000 children; partnered with the Ridley Circle After School Program to implement an after-school program, provide school supplies and backpacks, and formed a reading circle; and organized a Career Pathways initiative for the Newport News Public School system to expose students to grade-appropriate career development experiences.

Sharon personally adopted a homeless family of six. She assisted them in search for a home and took it upon herself to become a mentor to the 9, 10, and 13 year old children."

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BDPA is very proud to honor the works of Sharon Shaw! We are glad that she won this 2015 Epsilon Award!

Sandra Scott Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service

Sandra Scott * Epsilon Award

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for people who have significant demonstration, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Sandra Scott has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Community Service. Her nomination was submitted by Carmen Giles, manager, MillerCoors. She wrote,

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter leadership team believes that Sandra Scott is a BDPA Epsilon Award Winner and here are reasons why:

Sandra Scott is an outstanding individual and an enormous assess to the Milwaukee Community. She has been a key player in many areas of the Milwaukee Community such as Hansberry Sands Theatre Company, MillerCoors – Milwaukee Tutorial Program, NAACP, Milwaukee County Cultural Artistic & Musical Programming Advisory Council and the rejuvenation of the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter.

Sandra is the CEO and founder of the Scott Institute of Learning. She has worked with a number of Milwaukee Public Schools to improve academic achievement. Her main goal is to educate students how to manage, embrace, and understand such topics as Conflict, Critical Thinking, and Financial Literacy. Her program has touched so many students’ lives and they are highly encouraged to join the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter HSCC program. Under her program, students have mastered the art of NASDAQ Stock purchasing and selling.

Under Sandra’s leadership Hansberry-Sands Theatre Company has given numerous Milwaukee youths an opportunity to display their talent in acting and production director roles. She provided strategic direction, vision, bias for action, and motivating leadership. Hansberry-Sands Company was the only Black theatre company in Milwaukee for many years. Sandra and her team received numerous acknowledgments from the Mayor of Milwaukee, local media, and corporations.

Under Sandra’s leadership, the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter has expanded its membership and student recognition in the City of Milwaukee. She played a significant role preparing the Milwaukee students attendance at the 2014 BDPA National Technology Conference. This was the first time that the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter had students attend the conference. BDPA Milwaukee Chapter success is contributed to Sandra Scott passion for successful results.

Dr. Bellverie Ross Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Career Achievement

Dr. Bellverie Ross * Epsilon Award Winner

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for highly experienced professionals who have significant career accomplishments or contributions throughout their career.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Dr. Bellverie Ross has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Career Achievement. Her nomination was submitted by Jeffrey Stovall, CIO, City of Charlotte. He wrote,

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Bellverie, in her six years with the City of Charlotte, has been an exemplary employee and a role model for others in the organization. Bellverie’s rapidly growing list of accomplishments includes:

• Bellverie was the lead for the City’s newly formed program management office to prepare the IT environment for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Starting in January 2012, she initiated and guided the program office and focused cross-divisional teams toward critical objectives leading to a DNC with no significant technology outages. Her success at leading the DNC PMO led to her being appointed to lead the citywide Enterprise Program Management Office.
• Bellverie was the project manager for the city’s recent conversion to LTE mobile routers in 950 police and fire vehicles and 10G network upgrades in over 60 public safety facilities. This concludes the turn-around of a challenged ARRA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program grant from 2011. (http://www.statetechmagazine.com/article/2015/01/how-local-governments-are-preparing-firstnet)
• Bellverie worked to develop the City’s first mobile apps: MyCharlotte and RideCATS. The city of Charlotte was honored with the 10th Annual Mobilizer Award for 2011 in the Mobilizing Business Applications category for MyCharlotte and RideCATS. (http://mobileenterprise.edgl.com/top-stories%5C2011-Best-In-Mobilizing-Business-Applications76704).
• Bellverie led a 2012 voice-over-IP conversion project to replace the aged 311 call center PBX system whose upgrade had been postponed for years. The new, innovative hosted platform now serves as the core telephony solution for the $2M+ citywide conversion from Centrex to VoIP which the City will be implementing through 2018. (http://www.crn.com/news/networking/240006868/nwn-gives-city-of-charlotte-a-convention-communications-boost.htm)
• Bellverie worked with Microsoft and the city Event Permitting team to deliver a solution for the DNC events and for future use. This product has been used since the DNC to replace a manual prior process involving paper and emails across multiple departments and outside agencies. (http://youtu.be/tmgxGNiXk0A)

Bellverie Ross (far right) Accepts her Epsilon Award

Additionally, Bellverie is a community supporter, donating her time freely to support a local women’s STEM advocacy (WISE – Women in Science and Engineering) as well as mentoring at a local high school. This is no small feat given her concurrent work on a doctorate in organizational behavior in IT, which she earned last year.

Bellverie has been in the IT field for over 25 years. Prior to the City of Charlotte, she served as a SVP/Director with MBNA America, a business owner, and a senior project manager with LendingTree.

When considering her achievements at the City of Charlotte in her brief time here and the span of accomplishments across her career, Bellverie is eminently well-qualified for BDPA career achievement recognition. It continues to be a pleasure and tremendous honor to have her on my team.

As my submission of Bellverie as a candidate is meant to be a surprise, I have supplemented her pre-City of Charlotte resume in the submission with additional information above which describes her accomplishments to date.

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You can follow Bellverie on Twitter: @Bellverie

Carl Bentley Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Career Achievement

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for highly experienced professionals who have significant career accomplishments or contributions throughout their career.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Carl Bentley has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Career Achievement. Carl Bentley is the executive vice president at Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3).  Bentley
has been a noted leader in Detroit’s business industry for over 30 years, and in his most recent role with S3, is making his mark on the IT and business industries globally, as well with the company’s top Fortune 100 and 500 customers. As S3’s executive VP, Bentley oversees nearly half of the company’s $268 million annual revenue, servicing global companies in the energy, healthcare and financial services industries.

Bentley also helped spearhead S3’s $10 million call center business. For one call center customer in the

Carl Bentley * Career Achievement

utility industry, Bentley’s keen recruitment and training skills resulted in assembling a team that helped raise the customer’s standings with JD Power from unsatisfactory to a top-tier rating.

While managing S3’s top customer accounts, Bentley has also been nurturing business in five major markets nationally, including Atlanta, California, Denver, Nashville and Texas. Under Bentley’s leadership and counsel, these markets have collectively increased revenue by nearly 20 percent.

While Bentley is leading the IT industry nationally, he is also supporting his community locally. For the past 16 years, Bentley has led S3’s charity golf outing in Detroit, raising nearly $500,000 to support organizations that align with S3’s pillars of community giving – homelessness, the arts, animal welfare, and economic and community development.

Additionally, Bentley serves as treasurer on the board of Mariners Inn, a shelter and treatment center for homeless men, where, among many responsibilities, he has been leading the development of a $1.3 million investment account. This will allow more discretionary spending to serve the immediate needs of Mariners Inn’s clientele. Bentley also serves on the development and nominating committees for the Junior Achievement board, which provides business and life skills programs for young people. At Junior Achievement, Bentley has been working to help integrate technology into their mentorship programs.

You can follow Carl on Twitter: @cbentley99

Dr. Michael Boykin Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Outstanding Technical Contribution. This honor is reserved for individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical business or technical problem.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Boykin has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution. Dr. Michael Boykin is worthy of the Outstanding Technical Contribution award for repeatedly demonstrating the ability to position organizations to seize competitive advantage and enhance operational synergies through the modernization, integration and deployment of IT solutions. Evidence of Dr. Boykin’s contribution is reflected in his technical leadership of IT-enabled business transformation and mergers and acquisition. Recently, Boykin led the technical program for a $4B spin-off of a consumer goods company. As part of this effort, he developed the complete strategic technology plan and services to be used at company start up. The comprehensive modernization plan supported a 50% reduction in IT spend and facilitated the successful launch of the new company which saw nearly a 120% increase in stock price the first year.

Dr. Michael Boykin

As the Professional Services Director for Spyne, a Cisco-certified professional services firm, Boykin oversaw and led the technical infrastructure planning and execution for a major international pharmaceutical company. This effort helped Cisco obtain the Supplier of the Year award from the customer. As an enterprise architect with Alcoa, Dr. Boykin played pivotal architecture roles in the Common Infrastructure Initiative that paved the way for a modernized corporate ledger solution that enabled Alcoa to be one of the first companies on the Dow to report monthly performance figures to Wall Street.

Today, Dr. Boykin is a Distinguished Technologist and member of the HP Chief Technologist Office assigned to the Consumer Goods segment and is one of only a small number of minorities in this role. In this capacity, he engages with some of HP’s largest and most strategic accounts to establish forward-looking strategies, roadmaps and governance forums. He is the first African American, Alcoa Fellowship holder and Division-1A varsity football player to earn a Ph.D in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh.

The Epsilon Award nomination for Dr. Michael Boykin was submitted by Jambey Clinkscales, chair of the HP Black Employee Leadership Council.

Linda Clement-Holmes Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Career Achievement

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for highly experienced professionals who have significant career accomplishments or contributions throughout their career.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Linda Clement-Holmes has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Career Achievement. Linda is the Chief Information Officer for Procter & Gamble. In this expansive role, Linda is responsible for building capability within the Company’s Information Technology (IT) function and providing IT governance oversight. Among her responsibilities, Linda is responsible for P&G’s global IT infrastructure, driving enterprise architecture; corporate applications; maintaining compliance and effectiveness of information security; leading IT innovation; and ensuring a best-in-class employee and workplace experience.

Linda Clement-Holmes

Linda joined P&G in 1983, becoming a global “executive of firsts” across several disciplines. She was the first African American senior vice president in the IT function, and the first female African American senior vice president, and now president, within P&G. She led the first vision and strategy for P&G’s e-mail system, led the partnership with HP to provide core information technology services, and spearheaded delivery of broad business and employee services to Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. As Chief Diversity Officer, Linda crafted the first company-wide diversity and inclusion strategy and established P&G’s first Global Inclusion & Diversity Council, significantly elevating P&G’s Diversity Inc. and Working Mother Magazine rankings.

Linda is widely recognized for her leadership and business acumen. Recent honors include Purdue University’s Krannert Business Leadership Award and Purdue Old Master, American Business Awards’ Female Executive of the Year, Working Mother’s 'Working Mothers of the Year', YWCA’s Career Woman of Achievement, the First Tees Values award, the Howard University Global Visionary Leadership Award and the Diamond Leadership Award from the IT Senior Management Forum. She has been listed among Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders, Uptown Professional’s Top 100 Executives and Black Enterprise magazine’s Top Executives.

Linda remains active in community, business, and service organizations, many holding Board of Director and Officer positions. As a role model for IT leaders, African Americans, and Women, Linda exemplifies Career Achievement.

You can follow Linda on Twitter: @lwch

Judaea Lane Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service

Judaea Lane

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. The 'Community Service' award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside. One of the 2015 Epsilon Award winners in this category is Judaea Lane.

Judaea Lane has been a member of BDPA New York Chapter for over 15 years. Judaea has held numerous roles within the chapter such as Student Chaperone, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Chapter President. Some of her key accomplishments as President were conducting Community Events such as Black Family Technology Awareness Week and Cybersecurity Awareness and distributing over $5,000 in Scholarships to BDPA’s HSCC students. Currently Judaea is the National Board Development Governance & Bylaw Chairperson.

In 2008, Judaea was recipient of the MetLife Foundation Volunteer Service Award for the BDPA New York chapter. The award honored MetLife associates who have made a difference in their communities through volunteer work. For over 8 years, Judaea has been a member of Central Nassau Club of National Association Negro Business & Professional Women Club (NANBPWC). She is a member of the National Technology Team where she provides help desk support to senior members. Recently Judaea participated on a panel at the United Nations, where she demonstrated how to use technology as part of disaster preparation. Other key accomplishments were planning, organizing and managing the club signature events such as the NANBPWC’s Annual Luncheon and Women’s History Month Program.

Judaea serves on the Executive Board of Nassau Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. In 2014 Judaea received the Outstanding Community Service Award from National Pan Hellenic Council of Nassau/Suffolk Counties. Last, Judaea’s biggest passion is conducting digital literacy awareness to seniors for her church. Inspired by God’s word, her favorite scripture is Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plans.”

Judaea receives Epsilon Award from BDPA founder and national president.

Due to Judaea’s strong leadership skills and compassion for volunteering in the in the community, she is worthy recipient of the BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service.

You can follow Judaea on Twitter:  @jeytechconsult

Norman Fleming (MillerCoors) Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for 'Professional Achievement'

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. The 'Outstanding Professional Achievement' award is presented to individuals who have reached or realized a significant milestone in their career, corporate or otherwise, that is noteworthy. One of the 2013 Epsilon Award winners in this category is Norman Fleming, senior director at MillerCoors.

Norman Fleming Wins 2013 Epsilon Award

Mr. Fleming earned this honor from BDPA because for his numerous impressive career achievements. He has over twenty-six years of deep professional business and technology experience including the following:

• Senior Director of Enterprise Business Solutions, MillerCoors (Present). He oversees a Business Information Solutions (BIS) portfolio of over 600 business systems across the entire enterprise. He is accountable for a $90 million annual budget that supports strategic business planning, portfolio management, project management, business analysis, SAP center of excellence, and most importantly, attracting, developing, and retaining the best diverse employee talent in the US and Puerto Rico markets.
• Senior Director of IT Client Relationship Management, Astellas Pharma (2010). He oversaw business solution areas, provided strategic IT leadership, a broad understanding of how technology can be applied to fulfill business objectives, and led the portfolio process for the Americas region in US, Canada, Central America, and South America.
• Program Integration & Management leader, Deloitte (2008). He designed, led and operated large scale technology delivery programs with a strong focus on predictability, results management, method alignment, delivery, risk, quality and estimation. He also provided an integrated set of advisory and implementation services to CxOs and IT Executive Management.
• Other positions include: IT Leader, Merck; Business Systems Manager, Kraft Foods; Director of Client Services, The New York Times Company and approximately 12 years in various management roles at the Chicago Tribune Company.

He has been recognized by Who’s Who in Science & Engineering, Who’s Who in International Professional Management, and received the highest recognition award at the Chicago Tribune company, the President’s Award.  Mr. Fleming holds many certifications and is active community leader. He also graduated with distinction and earned a MBA in Information Systems and he earned his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Management.

Norm has been a consistent leader within BDPA.  He served on the national BDPA board of directors for many years.  He also came very close to becoming National BDPA president in 2007. Soul clap to Colleen Mayer for submitting the 2013 Epsilon Award nomination for Mr. Fleming.

You can follow Norman Fleming on Twitter: @NPFleming1016

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• Dr. Kyla McMullen (Clemson University) Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for 'Professional Achievement'

Subrena Robinson (State Farm) Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for 'Community Service'

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. The 'Community Service' award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside. One of the 2013 Epsilon Award winners in this category is Subrena Robinson, IT director with State Farm.


Subrena used her leadership skills to add structure to the BDPA Central Illinois chapter. Her efforts led directly to the chapter becoming a more effective organization. As a mentor to BDPA members, she willingly shared her knowledge ... particularly with those who were new to the IT industry.

Subrena played a lead role in the facilitation of a health, drug prevention and self-esteem enhancement program for girls aged 8-17. The program was designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that would enable early adolescent girls to reach their full potential

After the success of the girls program, she implemented a similar program for young boys. The program was aimed at boys aged 11-18 and helped them deal with many of the challenges they faced on a daily basis. Each young man was provided mentors from the community who served as positive role models.

Partnering with her Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Subrena established an annual scholarship program that provided scholarships to deserving students including a single parent pursuing a four year degree.

Community involvement includes:

• National African American Women’s Leadership Institute, Fellow * 2008;  Application committee * 2011
• Mount Moriah Christian Church,  Trustee * 2004-present
• Project Management Institute, Central Illinois Chapter, Monthly Meeting Facilitator * 2004-2009
• SMART Girls,  Program Leader * 2003-2011
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Soror * 2002-present
• Central Illinois Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Chapter, Committee Chair * 2001-present

Soul clap to Theonnie Shields, founder of our BDPA Central Illinois chapter, for submitting the 2013 Epsilon Award nomination for Subrena Robinson.

You can follow State Farm on Twitter: @StateFarm

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Dr. Kyla McMullen (Clemson University) Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for 'Professional Achievement'

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. The 'Outstanding Professional Achievement' award is presented to individuals who have reached or realized a significant milestone in their career, corporate or otherwise, that is noteworthy. One of the 2013 Epsilon Award winners in this category is Dr. Kyla McMullen, assistant professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson University.

Dr. Kyla McMullen is the first African American woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, she served in various graduate-level mentorship roles through AGEP (The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate) and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering). Further demonstrating her commitment to the minority graduate community, she served as the President of SMES-G (The Society of Minority Engineers and Scientists – Graduate Component) and Vice President of both MUSES (The Movement of Underrepresented Sisters in Engineering and Science) and SMES-G. She is committed to increasing the number of African American scientists and engineers who possess academic excellence, professional success, and seek to spread their knowledge to help future generations. When Dr. McMullen received her PhD from the University of Michigan, it was a major step forward for all Blacks in technology.

Her technical prowess is shown through her numerous publications, which further contribute knowledge to computer science and engineering. In addition to her fellowship from the Horace. H. Rackham Graduate School she also earned a three-year fellowship through the Office of Naval Research.

Kyla accepts Epsilon Award from BDPA prez Monique Berry

Kyla is both a knowledgeable and committed asset to the information technology industry. She was a featured presenter at the 2013 BDPA Technology Conference ... in fact, she was a 'rock star' to all members of the BDPA family as they learned about her pioneering efforts at the University of Michigan. Soul clap to Dr. Juan Gilbert, winner of the 2008 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution, for submitting the 2013 Epsilon Award nomination for Dr. McMullen.

You can follow Dr. McMullen on Twitter: @Dr_Kyla

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Dr. Shaundra Daily (Clemson University) Wins BDPA Epsilon Award as 'Most Promising Technologist'

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. The 'Most Promising Technologist' award is presented to individuals who have been recognized as future technology leaders based on their drive, commitment and results thus far in their careers. One of the 2013 Epsilon Award winners in this category is Dr. Shaundra Daily, assistant professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson University.

Dr. Daily serves as the chair of her division in the Clemson University School of Computing. Although she is early in her academic career, her scholarship stretches back to her successes as a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was only the second Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in her program.

Dr. Daily has written numerous grants to develop new technologies that have resulted in nearly $1M in funding. Her projects have uniquely combined computation with content areas that are not typically utilized. For example, she has worked in the area of Affective Computing to design, build, and evaluate emotion-sensing technologies in support of social and emotional growth. In fact, she is an inventor on a patent for a washable wearable bio-sensor that she helped develop.

Currently, she is developing a user interface to support teachers in understanding how students respond in the classroom, as well as an environment to support student interest in computing as they develop three dimensional dance partners. Her work has been disseminated through a book chapter, journal articles, and conference proceedings which have led to her work being featured by WGBH’s Science City, Science Update Radio Program, National Public Radio, Under the Microscope, Nova Science, and Forbes. She has recently been appointed to serve as an Institute for the Advancement of Healthcare Scholar for Clemson and an Emerging Scholar for Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

BDPA has no doubt that Dr. Daily's record of technology development will continue as she continues to support Clemson's efforts to push the boundaries of Human-Centered Computing. Soul clap to Dr. Juan Gilbert, winner of the 2008 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution, for submitting the 2013 Epsilon Award nomination for Dr. Daily.

You can follow Dr. Daily on Twitter: @DrSBDaily

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Zack Garbow (Funeral Innovations) Wins 'Most Promising Technologist' Epsilon Award

Zack Garbow, co-founder of Funeral Innovations, was honored at the 2013 National BDPA Technology Conference with an individual Epsilon Award as 'Most Promising Technologist'.

Zack is one of the foremost innovators in the industry, bringing his extensive Silicon Valley experience into the death care industry by co-founding Funeral Innovations. Before starting Funeral Innovations, Zack was a software engineer within IBM Research, where he gained over 100 patents pending and earned the title of Master Inventor, becoming the youngest Master Inventor in the history of IBM. Prior, Zack studied Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Minnesota.

Zack is actively involved in helping his community. He was the technical director for BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. He taught web technologies to high school students. Under his tutelage, the local chapter's students won their National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship a record five (5) straight years.   The number of students trained annually more than doubled during his tenure.

In 2005, Zack was accepted into Y-Combinator, where he would develop social media products in Silicon Valley, while networking with startup specialists, including the founders of Twitter, Gmail and Pinterest. Zack developed www.BDPAStudents.com at that time to assist in remote management of BDPA computer camp activity.

In 2011, Zack moved to Boulder, CO where he continued to manage development of www.BDPAStudents.com development while in Boulder.  The Rochester (MN) School District used this software platform to manage its web development classroom activities.

Thomas Moskalik, retired web development instructor for the school district said, “BDPAStudents.com surpasses anything commercially available. Instead of software that costs over six figures annually, www.BDPAStudents.com provides a flexible solution capable of supporting multiple chapters/entities, at virtually no cost. To say the least, I am impressed with the software and its creator.”

Soul clap to BDPA Southern Minnesota past president Nat Calvert for nominating Zack Garbow for this prestigious IT industry award!

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• Nominations Open for 2014 BDPA Individual Epsilon Awards

Nominations Open for 2014 BDPA Individual Epsilon Awards

The National BDPA Individual Epsilon Awards recognize members who have demonstrated exceptional results in one of the five (5) categories below. Nominations are accepted and evaluated by a team of National BDPA members in accordance with the descriptions below. In 2014, we will award one (1) recipient per category.

Nominations are due: May 9, 2014 [nomination form]
Award recipients will be announced: June 6, 2014

Nominations packages must include:

• Career resume including education, positions held, awards and recognition and professional association affiliations
• A completed Nomination form. Incomplete submissions will result in a candidate being disqualified from consideration.
• A professional portrait image of the candidate, appropriate for publication with the award citation.

The Award categories and descriptions are:

• Career Achievement - Experienced professionals who have achieved significant career accomplishments and/or made contributions throughout their career to their company or industry
• Community Service - Significant demonstration, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside
• Most Promising Technologist - Individuals who have been recognized as future technology leaders based on their drive, commitment and results thus far in their career
• Outstanding Technical Contribution - Individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical business or technical problem
• Professional Achievement - Individuals who have reached or realized a significant milestone in their career, corporate or otherwise, that is noteworthy

Please submit all nominations and direct any questions or inquiries regarding the award or award categories to epsilon-awards@bdpa.org. You will receive a response within seventy-two (72) hours.

BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan Receives Diversity Award from BDPA

BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan (BCBSM) has been honored by National BDPA with a 2013 Epsilon Award for its diversity programs.

"It is an honor for Information Technology to be recognized by the BDPA," said Gary Harvey, vice president, Information Technology. "Receiving this award is another example of IT’s commitment to foster and promote a diverse and inclusive culture. My thanks to those who have volunteered to work on, or with, our Diversity Advisory Council over the last several years. It is their efforts that are truly being recognized."

Past winners of the honor include Health Care Service Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Merck, Wal-Mart, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

"We congratulate Information Technology and the Diversity Advisory Council on receiving this award for their efforts to embed diversity and inclusion at the business-unit level," said Amal Berry-Brown, senior director of BCBSM’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "IT has been an exemplary partner in embracing diversity and in engaging their leaders and employees by implementing a division mentoring program, creating a job shadowing program and recognizing employees’ efforts for their diversity and inclusion activities through their divisional Diversity Branding Strategy."

The award will be presented Aug. 16 at the Dignitaries Reception during the National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, D.C. The Epsilon Award qualifies BCBSM for further consideration to be named the BDPA Top Company for Blacks in Technology.

Since its inception in 1975, BDPA has been a strong advocate of promoting and advancing the interest and careers of African Americans in the field of Computer Science and Information Technology.

Cross-posted from Blues News (BCBSM Intranet newsletter)

2013 BDPA Individual Epsilon Award Winners

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members in accordance with the descriptions below.

• Career Achievement - Highly experienced professionals who have significant career accomplishments and/or contributions throughout their career
• Community Service - Individuals who have demonstrated, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside
• Most Promising Technologist - Individuals who have been recognized as future technology leaders based on their drive, commitment and results thus far in their careers
• Outstanding Technical Contribution - Individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical business or technical problem
• Professional Achievement - Individuals who have reached or realized a significant milestone in their career, corporate or otherwise, that is noteworthy

This year, National BDPA is pleased to honor the following 24 individuals with Epsilon Awards:

1. Dr. Reginald Brothers, Department of Defense, Professional Development
2. Dr. Craig Brown, Nexeo Solutions, Community Service
3. Eugene Cook, Wal-Mart, Outstanding Technical Contribution
4. Victoria Cotton, American Airlines, Outstanding Technical Contribution
5. Adrian Crews, Wells Fargo, Community Service
6. Dr. Shaundra B. Daily, Clemson University, Most Promising Technologist
7. Norman Fleming, MillerCoors, Professional Development
8. Karamu Ford, American Airlines, Career Achievement
9. Zack Garbow, Funeral Innovations, Most Promising Technologist
10. Victor Gavin, US Navy, Career Achievement
11. David Hopkins, American Airlines, Career Achievement
12. Maria Hutsell, Wells Fargo, Career Achievement
13. Dr. Tayo Ibikunle, JPMorgan Chase, Career Achievement
14. Kimberly Jackson, American Airlines, Professional Development
15. Cedric Jamison, American Airlines, Community Service
16. Ted Jordan, Funutation Tekademy, Professional Development
17. Dr. Kyla A. McMullen, Clemson University, Professional Development
18. Anthony Reed, Reed CPA PC, Community Service
19. Subrena Robinson, State Farm Insurance
20. Justin Simpson, Wal-Mart, Most Promising Technologist
21. Decarlas Smith, American Airlines, Most Promising Technologist
22. Stacy Stewart, Health Care Service Corporation, Community Service
23. J. Darrel Thomas, HP, Outstanding Technical Contribution
24. Patrice Yapo, American Airlines, Outstanding Technical Contribution

BDPA will recognize several these accomplished individuals at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington DC.

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 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 professionals.

BDPA Corporate Epsilon Award Winners: Top 11 Companies for Blacks In Technology

BDPA will recognize several of America’s corporate giants and accomplished individuals at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. BDPA created the Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members and supporters.

National BDPA Corporate Epsilon Awards recognizing corporate achievement are awarded to corporations who have demonstrated a commitment to people and an understanding that fostering a culture of diversity has a bottom line business case value. Each year, National BDPA surveys Fortune 1000 companies to make an assessment of their internal workplace and career development climate using the following rating categories:

• Tenure, Promotions and Terminations
• Leadership Development and Advancement programs
• Supplier Diversity programs
• Community Outreach programs

This year, National BDPA is pleased and honored to recognize eleven (11) corporations with the Corporate Epsilon Award. These corporations are finalists for 'The Top Company For Blacks in Technology' award that will be announced on Saturday, August 17th during the Awards Gala:

1. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
2. Health Care Service Corporation
3. HP
4. Intel
5. Johnson & Johnson (2012 Winner!)
6. Merck
7. Monsanto
8. State Farm Insurance
9. Wal-Mart
10. WellPoint
11. Wells Fargo

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 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 professionals. Contact Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Department by phone (301.584-3135) or email (corpsales@bdpa.org) if you need more information on BDPA sponsorship program.