Grant Award: HCSC Corporate Community Involvement ($5,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is proud to accept a $5,000 grant award from the Health Care Service Corporation Corporate Charitable Trust on behalf of BDPA Dallas chapter. The award is a direct result of the work that BDPA Dallas is doing with its annual Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

The grant award letter read in part:

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Dear Community Partner,

In recognition of the important community work your organization provides, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas is pleased to provide your organization with the enclosed check of $5,000.

We appreciate the significant work being done by your organization and wish you continued success.

Sincerely,
Ross Blackstone, senior manager
Integrated and Strategic Communications
Management Steering Committee Representative
BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

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This is great news for BDPA Dallas chapter and its president, Chad White. We encourage all supporters of this local chapter to help ensure that we're able to give college scholarships to high-performing students via a secured online donation!

BlueCross BlueShield Shows New Robotics Technology at BDPA Career Fair

Did you see the Double telepresence robot showcased at the 2014 BDPA Career Fair by the folks from BlueCross BlueShield of IL, MT, NM, OK, TX? The Indianapolis Recorder was enamored enough to place a video vignette on their YouTube channel.

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.

BDPA Welcomes Health Care Service Corporation as a Gold Level Sponsor

Committed to their corporate social responsibility of giving, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) recently took a giant step towards emerging ‘winning the future’ with their generous $50,000 Gold Level corporate investment in BDPA’s 35th Annual National Technology Conference that will be held August 14-17, 2013 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C. HCSC is the parent company of BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

Members of HCSC team at 2011 BDPA Conference

"Since 2008, HCSC has made annual corporate investments in BDPA and I am delighted to welcome them back for the fifth consecutive year as a BDPA partner. Their generous contribution will assist us in developing a high-quality conference as well as the annual Youth Technology Camp which focuses on youth engagement in science, technology, engineering and math) education. With this contribution, we once again have an opportunity to thank HCSC for being a visionary corporate citizen," said Monique Berry, National BDPA President.

Widely known for being among the fastest growing health and life insurance companies in the nation, HCSC is committed to local community relations, volunteering, diversity and inclusion, ethics and compliance, and wellness and sustainability initiatives.

Brian Hedberg

Denise Holmes, HCSC corporate champion says, “Under the visionary leadership of our CIO and Executive Sponsor, Brian Hedberg, Blue Cross Blue Shield IL, OK, NM, and TX are proud to continue their long-standing relationship with BDPA, an organization whose mission is directly aligned with our overall commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace."

For more information on the 35th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference, Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Department, corpsales@bdpa.org, (513) 284-4968.

Grant Award: BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BDPA Dallas)

Most would say that the success of BDPA over the years has been its ability to generate passion and results from volunteers. As such, it is always a joy to find corporations that support the volunteer efforts of its workforce. One such corporation is BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BCBSTX), A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, who has a wonderful volunteer grant program known as the Blue Corps Employee Volunteer Program.

The program coordinator wrote the following:

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BlueCross and BlueShield of Texas is pleased to enclose a contribution in the amount of $160 to BDPA Education and Technology Foundation as a valued community partner in our Blue Corps Volunteer Program.

The contribution is a matching gift for the number of hours that BCBSTX employees supported BDPA Dallas chapter in 2011.

Since our founding more than 75 years ago as the only statewide member-owned health insurer, we have sought to remain a vital part of the communities where we were born. We are committed to partnering with local organizations to improve the well-being of the communities where we live and work, and we are honored to support your efforts.

We appreciate the work being done by your organization and wish you continued success.

Sincerely,
Debbie Cox
Community Affairs Representative

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Payroll Pledges: United Way of Metro Chicago

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very pleased to report that there are five donors making payroll pledges to support BDPA programs and services through the United Way of Metro Chicago (UWMC).

All five donors are employed with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois (a subsidiary of Health Care Service Corporation). Share some BDPA-Love with:

1. Sterling Blackmon
2. Diane Harrison-James
3. Sheila Marionneaux
4. Tanshaneika Swire
5. Kimberly Turner

Our goal is to have an increasing number of donors that take steps to make payroll pledges in support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services. Have you considered it?

BDPA Names Five IT Heavyweights as Honorary Conference Chairs

LaVerne Council

There are some heavy-hitters in the information technology industry who plan to serve in a leadership capacity for the upcoming BDPA Technology Conference.  BDPA announced the following executives as Honorary Conference Chairs:

1. LaVerne Council, Corporate Vice President and CIO, Johnson & Johnson
2. Marc Di Francisco, President and CEO, Premier Event Management
3. Brian Hedberg, Chief Information Officer, Health Care Service Corporation
4.  Trudy McKnight, Executive Director, Small Business Partnership Programs, U.S. Public Sector, HP
5. David Weick, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, McDonald's 

The Honorary Chair takes a leadership role in promoting the conference and provides resources to assist with the execution of a successful conference.

"BDPA is excited to recognize this year's honorary chairs for the 2011 National Conference”, said National BDPA President, Yvette Graham.

The conference theme, 'Ignite, Inspire and Empower: The GPS of Future Technologists', is both timely and appropriate given the state of our economy and the number of individuals who are still seeking employment. BDPA remains committed to excellence as it continues to serve as a catalyst for professional growth and technical development.

The 2011 National BDPA Technology Conference to be held in Chicago, IL on August 3-6, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, provides a total information technology experience for high school and college students, information technology professionals, entrepreneurs, IT senior managers, corporations, academia, government agencies and the research community.

The Honorary Chairs accepted their roles, in part, because of the value-packed slate of offerings given by field experts. These seminars, plenary sessions and workshops exemplify BDPA's commitment to provide state of the art training, professional growth and technical development, entrepreneurial opportunity, technical resource offerings, and access to leading edge technology to its members, corporate supporters, and the community.

This blog plans to be in Chicago for the entire conference. How about you?

Grant Award: Health Care Service Corporation ($2,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is a Blue Corps Community Partner with Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). HCSC is the fourth largest health insurance company in the nation. We are pleased to announce that HCSC awarded us with a $2,000 check because of our work with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas employees Ayanna Hart, Veronica Starr and Stacy Stewart.

The company wrote:

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Dear Mr. Hicks:

BlueCross BlueShield of Texas is pleased to enclose a contribution in the amount of $2,000 to BDPA Education and Technology Foundation as a valued community partner in our Blue Corps Employee Volunteer Program.

This contribution is matching gift for the number of hours that BCBSTX employee volunteers supported your organization in 2010.

Since our founding more than 75 years ago as the only statewide member-owned health insurer, we have sought to remain a vital part of the communities where we were born. We are committed to partnering with local organizations to improve the well-being of the communities where we live and work, and we are honored to support your efforts.

We appreciate the work being done by your organization and wish you continued success.

Sincerely,
Debbie Cox
Community Affairs Representative

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This grant award will be used to support the programs offered by our BDPA Dallas chapter. Our hope is that we can leverage this volunteer grant opportunity in both Illinois and Texas this calendar year.

Health Care Service Corporation Names BDPA Foundation as a Blue Corps Community Partner

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) was accepted as a Blue Corps Community Partner by Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). The success of this HCSC corporate volunteer program, known as Blue Corps, depends on the many BlueCross BlueShield employees who volunteer their personal time to support an array of worthwhile causes. Our hope is that together, we can build upon our heritage of making a positive difference in the lives of others, thereby helping to create a brighter future for us all.

This means that members of the HCSC who live in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma or Texas will have the opportunity to volunteer for BDPA and for every verified hour, HCSC will provide a matching donation of $20 per hour up to a combined possible total of $2,000 per year.

HCSC is also willing to post volunteer opportunities on their Blue Corps website. For any individual volunteering, the volunteers will submit a participation form that would need to be co-signed by the BETF executive director, chapter president or national vice president upon volunteer completion.

The HCSC Volunteer Plan coordinators are:


Illinois: Regina High, (312) 653-6000
New Mexico: Tamra Pena, (505) 291-3500
Oklahoma: Pia Lupeika, (405) 841-9525
Texas: Debbie Cox, (972) 766-6900

For more information, please contact:

Lydia Ashanin,

HCSC Director of Corporate Community Involvement:
Health Care Service Corporation
dba Blue Cross and Blue Shield of IL, NM, OK and TX
5700 Balloon Fiesta Parkway
Albuquerque, NM 87113
Phone: 505-816-4292
E-mail: Lydia_Ashanin@hcsc.net

Do you have any members of the BlueCross BlueShield team working as volunteers in your chapter? If so, please reply to this post so we can figure out how to leverage this corporate volunteer grant program!

HSCC Judge Testimonial: Bruce Armsterd (Health Care Service Corporation)

The 25th annual BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) national championships are over. The winners will be announced tomorrow night. I came across a testimonial written by one of the HSCC judges on a 2010 conference blog created by one of BDPA's corporate sponsors.

Bruce Armsterd is a Messaging and Collaboration manager with Health Care Service Corporation. He wrote:

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This is Bruce Armsterd and was my first year volunteering as one of the judges for the 2010 BDPA Student Competition Program. Outside of being amazed by the level of commitment of various corporate professionals. More astonishing is the number of years individuals provide to enhance the level of experience the high schools students are exposed to at each conference. After spending two days with the twenty-two teams, I understand why each person donates their time to this programs. I have been inspired and encouraged by the level of knowledge and thirst for learning that each student participating in this challenging program. I have been amazed by the maturity and commitment of the students ranging from age 15 to 18. The work involved to support our future is far outs shadowed by seeing teens that display the raw talents to be tomorrow’s leaders in IT.


My experience has me firmly dedicated to donating my time to assist our future leaders develop their skills for the future.

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BDPA is a truly unique a wonderful organization. It is time for us to truly take our organization to the next level. What say u?

Sheila Marionneaux * Epsilon Award for Community Service

Sheila Marionneaux (Health Care Service Corporation) is one of the winners of the 2010 Epsilon Award for Community Service presented by National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com.

BDPA Epsilon Awards recognize individual achievement by technologists who are nominated by BDPA chapters or corporate sponsors.

The Epsilon Community Service Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the Black technology community through volunteer work, contributions, and other activities that are not included in his or her job descriptions.

Sheila Marionneaux is a Senior Program Manager for ITG Strategic Services Team at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) in Chicago, Illinois. Sheila's core business specialties include: public relations; communications planning and implementation; and the facilitation and oversight of major meetings and corporate events. She has been with HCSC for 12 years and is responsible for supporting the chief technology officer (CTO), in the delivery of organizational change management solutions, along with strategic and creative communications for various internal and external audiences.

Sheila Marionneaux holds executive officer roles on various boards and committees and is devoted to ongoing community service. She is President of Health Care Service Corporation’s BDPA corporate chapter, serving a constituency of 100 members (HCSC is the National BDPA 2008 Epsilon Award winner for Top Companies for Blacks in IT); additionally she serves on the Corporate Advisory Council as a corporate champion for HCSC. A nationally published writer, Sheila provides guidance and support to individuals and for not for profit organizations in need of targeted communications.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) joins all of BDPA-Nation in congratulating Sheila on her 2010 Epsilon Award for Community Service. I hope that many BDPA members strongly consider careers at Health Care Service Corporation!

I look forward to networking with Don at the 32nd annual BDPA Technology Conference. How about you?

Wheeler Coleman * Career Achievement Epsilon Award

Wheeler Coleman (Health Care Services Corporation, HCSC) is one of the winners of the 2010 Epsilon Career Achievement Award presented by National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com.

BDPA Epsilon Awards recognize individual achievement by technologists who are nominated by BDPA chapters or corporate sponsors.

Nominees for the Epsilon Career Achievement Award are individuals at or near the midpoint of their careers or beyond, but not close to retirement age, who have made significant achievements in technology or information technology in industry or government. The body of work of the nominee; its broad social and economic value and impact, and the nominee’s performance as a role model and mentor for minorities in technology are paramount in gaining career recognition.

Wheeler Coleman gained over 25 years experience and leadership in information technology after graduating from Northern Illinois University in 1983 with a BS in applied data processing. Currently, he is HCSC vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), managing over 100 employees in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. As CTO, Mr. Coleman deals with HCSC technology strategies and future state architecture.

Coleman grew up in Chicago with one brother and four sisters. His father operated a successful barber shop for over forty-five years.

"When I was in high school in the late 70s everyone was talking about computers. So when I got to college, knowing computers were hot, I took a class in computer science, enjoyed it and decided it was what I wanted to do," says Coleman.

Wheeler is as active in the community as he is in his professional career. In addition to being an executive sponsor for BDPA activity within HCSC, he is very active in many organizations in the community. He sits on the board and participates in many charities in Chicago including Catholic Charities Adoption Guild, Black Ensemble Theater, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, and the Inner-City Baseball Academy.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) salutes Wheeler Coleman for winning the 2010 Epsilon Career Achievement Award!

I plan to network with Wheeler at the 32nd annual BDPA Technology Conference. How about you?

Health Care Service Corporation Named Best Company for Blacks in Technology

Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) has been named the best place in the country for Blacks in technology. The prestigious Epsilon Award is given annually by National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com. Finalists for the award included top companies such as Allstate, Merck, State Farm, Wal-Mart, WellPoint and Wells Fargo Bank. Last year's winner was IBM.

"We are very pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions that HCSC has made for Blacks in technology," said National BDPA President, Denise
Holland. "In this economy, many African Americans in technology are concerned about opportunities for both employment and advancement. It is important to recognize those exceptional companies that have provided African Americans with challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in Information Technology."

HCSC is the country's fourth largest health insurer and operates the BlueCross and BlueShield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

"HCSC's commitment to diversity has helped us attract qualified employees and achieve incredible success," said Brian Hedberg, HCSC senior vice president and chief information officer. "We are especially grateful to BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com for encouraging us to identify and promote our talented work force. As we progress, we knowdiversity and inclusion will help us accomplish our goals."

To identify the Epsilon winner, BDPA supporters completed a comprehensive survey that rated performance in the areas of demographics, diversity programs, diversity (training, affinity groups), tenure, promotions and terminations, diversity recruiting, career path programs, minority vendor programs, and community outreach.

"Our BDPA survey questions cause reflection on whether programs value diversity and build opportunities at work," said Will Bundy, former national BDPA outside director. "Our winners have demonstrated a commitment to people and an understanding that diversity has a bottom line business case value."