This Week in BDPA (Nov 4-10)

BDPA offers strong programs in 45 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Nov 5: Middle Tennessee - Workshop, 'PMP Bootcamp'
• Nov 7: Washington DC - Fundraiser, 'Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner & Fundraiser'
• Nov 7: Los Angeles - Program Meeting, 'Building and Monetizing Websites'
• Nov 8: New Jersey - Fundraiser, 'Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet'
• Nov 8-10: Orlando - Board Meeting, 'ITSMF 4th Quarter Symposium'
• Nov 8-9: Columbus - Conference, 'DogFood Conference 2012'
• Nov 10: Cincinnati - Fundraiser, '17th Annual Education Banquet'
  

Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed! You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group.

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events

ITSMF: The Leadership Academy

The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) is a unique organization of African American executives in the information technology industry. They are currently recruiting IT professionals of color to participate in their 3-prong Leadership Academy.

ITSMF: The Leadership Academy

View more documents from Wayne Hicks

I encourage BDPAers to share this information with any leaders you may know in the information technology industry.

ITSMF: Executive Protege Program

I spent eight years in the Senior Executive Service (SES) with the federal government before striking out to start my own company. It is difficult to travel a career path in the information technology (IT) industry through the glass ceiling to the executive level.

One way to make that journey is with the help of a mentor. As such, I can sincerely recommend that any African American IT professional that is currently in a management position ... who feels that (s)he has executive potential should take a moment to learn about the Executive Protege Program (EPP) offered by the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF).

ITSMF exists is to fill the executive pipeline with the next generation of African American executives. The EPP provides the mentoring and networking that mid-level IT managers need to advance their IT careers to the senior and C-level. I am not aware of any other national mentoring program focused on cultivating executive talent among African American IT professionals.

Check out this brief video to learn more about the program from brothers and sisters who participate in it either as mentors or protegees.

Well, BETF-Blog readers ... are you interested in learning more about EPP or ITSMF?

ITSMF Executive Protege Program

If you are looking for a way to build your leadership skills, seriously consider the Executive Protégé Program (EPP). This program is the brainchild of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). ITSMF's mission is to fill the executive pipeline with the next generation of African American executives. One way that the mission is accomplished is through the Executive Protégé Program.

EPP is the only national mentoring program focused on cultivating executive talent among IT Professionals of color. EPP offers:

• Exposure and interaction with high-level IT executives
• Training and development of leadership skills through assessments and workshops
• A confidential relationship with a senior-level mentor
• Guidance on career-related issues which are unique to African Americans in leadership
• An opportunity to elevate leadership skills through insightful executive coaching

For additional information you can visit the ITSMF website or call (630) 406-1918.

Perhaps if we are lucky, we can encourage some ITSMF members or EPP alumni to share a COMMENT below about the program with us.

Career Coaching Webinar Offered by National BDPA on November 8, 2010

BETF-Blog readers are invited to join National BDPA for an exciting webinar on Monday, November 8th at 8:00pm EST.

Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, Director of the ITSMF Executive Protege' Program (EPP), will discuss the EPP program and mentoring opportunities. Dr. Payton was recently featured in Diversity Careers in Engineering and Information Technology for her mentoring work with minority doctoral students.

All BDPA members are invited to register for the webinar. Details can be found on the Global Database under events, and additional information available in the following flyer.

Flyer: Career Coaching Webinar (Nov 2010)

View more documents from Wayne Hicks.

Become a BDPA Lifetime Member and Be Part of the Founder's Club

One of my favorite moments at the 2010 BDPA Technology Conference in Philadelphia was the introduction of the Founder's Club. BDPA created the Founder's Club to honor 'lifetime members'.

The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) and Deloitte sponsored a private reception to congratulate the lifetime members. All members of the Founder’s Club were presented a certificate of participation and a unique memento designed by founder Earl Pace. Admiral Gary Roughhead, Chief of Naval Operations, was also there to congratulate each member.

There is still a window of opportunity for you to become a charter member of the Founder's Club. The Charter Member designation concludes on December 31st. I encourage all BETF-Blog readers to join this remarkable group right away!

Contact Mildred Allen, VP-Membership Management by email (vpmm@bdpa.org) or phone (800.727-2372) if you are interested in learning more about lifetime membership or the Founder's Club. Tell her that BETF sent you!

African Americans: Prepared to Lead at the Senior Levels in Information Technology

The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) is proud to announce that 18 IT African American professionals are ready to leap into leadership after completing the ITSMF Executive Protégé Program.

The goal of the Executive Protégé Program is to fill the pipeline with African Americans ready to advance to the senior levels of information technology. Graduates of the program also help fill an ongoing and growing void in the IT industry.

Published survey results indicate the IT industry is facing a talent crunch and many CIOs feel finding skilled professionals is their greatest challenge. "As a result of this data it is not a far leap to conclude that if we do not have the talent at the professional or mid-management levels, we may not have enough people in the pipeline to reach the executive levels," say Zack Lamelle, ITSMF Chairperson.

ITSMF has mobilized its efforts around solving this issue. The ITSMF Executive Protégé Program provides the mentoring and leadership development mid-level African American managers in information technology need, to advance to the senior and C level in IT. It is the only national leadership development program focused on cultivating executive talent among African American IT professionals.

The leadership development and mentoring occur in a structured collaborative environment where seasoned veterans share their success secrets and help protégés strategize for upward mobility. Using one-on-one coaching, enrollees gain insight and a higher sense of awareness of the behavioral and relationship abilities needed to become a leader in the IT profession.

Participants in the program learn from experienced senior leaders from some of the world's top fortune 500 companies like Lockheed Martin, Wachovia Bank, Marriott International and Microsoft. "We offer guidance, advice and counsel based upon real world experience," says Allen Sample, senior vice president for Marriott International.

To qualify for the program, mid-level managers must possess excellent communication skills, have achieved the level of first line manager, commit to completing the 12-month program and obtain a recommendation from an ITSMF member, an ITSMF Corporate Partner, or a protégé channel organization. They must also gain sponsorship and support from a senior level company manager for the duration of the program and be recognized as a high potential employee, promotable to at least two levels above their current position.


This year's graduating protégés are:

1. Gloria Anderson; Hewlett Packard, Technical Program Manager


2. Irvin Bishop; Coca Cola Company, Director Global Interactive Marketing, IT


3. Rhonda Boyd; Allstate, Portfolio Management Advisor, Technology Mgmt. Office


4. Jason Carter, Bank of America, former Vice President and Senior Technology Manager


5. Danielle Desalu; Cisco, Wireless Systems Engineer


6. Christopher Essex; UBS, Director, IT


7. Lucia Eversley; Procter & Gamble, Business Performance Solutions Leader


8. Dwight Forbes; Hewlett Packard, Civilian Agencies Presales Manager


9. Damon Frost; Procter & Gamble, Section Manager, GBS Leader


10. Shirley Johansson; Procter & Gamble, Systems Manager


11. Nikkia Miller-Blakes; Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon), Global Application Development Manager


12. Mike Nation; Coca Cola Company, Program Manager, Global Financial Development


13. Sharon Ransom; IBM, Americas Director of Services, Support and Education, Tivoli Software


14. Kimberly Summers-Sims; Hanesbrands, Director, Project Management


15. Tammara Turner; Microsoft, Social Engineer


16. Bennette Veals; Procter & Gamble, Employee Services Client Manager


17. Olden Warren; Procter & Gamble, Senior Project Manager


18. Ronnie Watson; Johnson & Johnson, IT Franchise Director

I encourage these 18 brothers and sisters to find a way to reach back and support BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) as they rise up the career ladder.

Dr. Randal Pinkett Joins ITSMF

In April 2009, Dr. Randal Pinkett was officially accepted as a member of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) where he will continue to lend his expertise and knowledge in IT and other subject matters.

"I can personally attest to the phenomenal growth that [Dr. Pinkett] will experience as [he] interacts with members, protégés and our partners," stated Zack Lemelle, ITSMF Chairperson.

This comes on the heels of the ITSMF Awards Gala, March 2009 in Irving, TX, which attracted approximately 500 corporate, government and association executives and guests. There, Dr. Randal Pinkett brought a keynote address entitled 'Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Game-Changing Strategies for IT Executives and Entrepreneurs.' Pinkett outlined the game-changing strategies IT executives and companies need to succeed in IT today -- working across lines of difference; creating strategic partnerships between IT entities; and fostering mentoring relationships between IT corporations and minority IT firms.

Pinkett was honored with a Beacon Award for his extraordinary contributions to the advancement of information technology while demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing diversity.

Upon welcoming him as a new member, ITSMF commended Pinkett for his commitment to join them in "filling the executive pipeline for the next generation of IT professionals."

New C-Level Leaders Join Our ITSMF/BETF Online Executive Auction

If you haven't checked out our auction catalog recently, it's worth another look. Here's why...

New Items Added!

We're adding new executives to our catalog and they are available for bidding! Check out all the auction excitement

Please Share This With Your Friends. Refer your friends so they have time to start bidding before our online auction closes on August 7, 2009.

ITSMF and BETF Online Executive Auction

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) are proud to announce the launch of an online executive auction. We plan to auction off at least one hour of an executive's time that will allow the winner an opportunity to network with senior level executives around the nation.

The bidding process will open up later this month. The winning bids will be announced on August 7, 2009. This is a unique opportunity for many BDPA members to have private time with some high-level folks in our industry.

Some donor-participants include:

1. Chairperson, Information Technology Senior Management Forum (Newark)


2. Chief Executive Officer, Keene Advisory Group (Chicago)


3. Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Staffing Solutions (Detroit)


4. Chief Innovation Officer, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati)


5. CIO, City of Chicago (Chicago)


6. CIO, Cox Enterprises (Atlanta)


7. CIO, Deloitte (Atlanta)


8. CIO, GE Healthcare (Milwaukee)


9. CIO, Moraine Valley Community College (Chicago)


10. CIO, MetricStream (San Francisco)


11. CIO, Motorola (Chicago)


12. Former CIO, Delta Airlines (Atlanta)


13. Founder, National BDPA (Philadelphia)


14. General Manager, Microsoft (Detroit)


15. President, Blackwell Consulting Services (Chicago)


16. President, NMBAA Chicago Chapter (Chicago)


17. President, Premier Event Management (Seattle)


18. President, Successful.com (Bay Area)


19. Vice President, Allstate Insurance (Chicago)


20. Vice President, Motorola (Chicago)

This should be fun!

Zack Lemelle Shares Overview of ITSMF (Video)

Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) is a national organization dedicated exclusively to fostering upper-level executive talent among African American IT professionals. Their goal is to prepare African American IT professionals for senior-level responsibility by offering executive career development, mentoring, and networking opportunities for advancing your career.

Zack Lemelle is the ITSMF chair. He takes some time in the following video to share insights about the relationship between BDPA and ITSMF. He also provides some great advice for young people considering a career in the IT industry. Enjoy the video:





BETF hopes to announce a joint fundraiser with ITSMF in the near-term. For now, we would be interested in your thoughts, comments or questions about ITSMF. What say u?

Globalization Symposium Helps African American and Hispanic IT Executives Compete

Did you know that the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) was birthed at a National BDPA Technology Conference back in the day? The group has evolved over the years. In fact, one of our BDPA Foundation directors, Larry Quinlan, is an ITSMF member.

"Globalization from a Business, Economic, Technical and Cultural Perspective" - a must-attend symposium on February 12-14, 2009 for IT executives, co-sponsored by the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) and the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) - will answer these questions and more. ITSMF is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to fostering senior-level executive talent among African American IT professionals; HITEC was founded by senior Hispanic IT executives who have built outstanding careers in information technology.

My hope is that the brothers and sisters that make up ITSMF will consider how they might support the BDPA Foundation in 2009 and beyond.

Use Online Auction to Meet African American Chief Information Officers

We have been exploring the issues and challenges facing African Americans in the IT industry. Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) created an online auction that provides you with a chance to continues this exploration with some truly dynamic executives in our industry.

Thirteen CIOs and Executives from global organizations have donated their time for you to have the opportunity to meet them one-on-one. The auction is open to all bidders so tell your colleagues and business associates to place their bids today!

Executive Participants:

• Derek Adams, Chubb & Son
• Shellye Archambeau, MetricStream
• Robert Blackwell, Blackwell Consulting
• Shirley Bridges, Delta Air Lines
• Bruce Carver, Cummins
• James Dallas, Medtronic Corporation
• Martin Davis, Wachovia
• Robert Dixon, PepsiCo
• Vercie Lark, EMBARQ Corporation
• Zackarie Lemelle, Johnson & Johnson
• Greg Morrison, Cox Enterprises
• Larry Quinlan, Deloitte
• Kevin Summers, Whirlpool Corporation

Proceeds raised from this online auction support the ITSMF Scholarship Fund. The scholarship promotes the success of IT professionals striving to reach the executive level by funding attendance to leadership development programming.

Bid Now! Share your thoughts via the COMMENTS link below on this online auction concept. Who do you see on this list that you would like to meet with one-on-one? Who is missing from this list that you would like to see added in future years?

Black Executives Receive Top Honors for their Contribution to the Advancement of Technology and Diversity in the IT Profession

The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) has recognized five African Americans from leading organizations for their extraordinary contributions to the advancement of Information Technology while continuously demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing diversity. Their achievements will be celebrated and recognized at the ITSMF Annual Awards Gala on February 13, 2009 at the Four Seasons in Dallas, Texas.

UBS will be honored as the ITSMF Corporate Sponsor of the Year.

The five individual award winners are:

1. Monte Ford, SVP and CIO for American Airlines
2. Dr. Randal Pinkett, Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners
3. Dr. Elva Jones, Chairman of the Computer Science Department at Winston Salem State University
4. Dr. Cheick Modibo Diarra, Africa Chairman Middle East & Africa for Microsoft Corporation
5. James D. Cook, VP Data Center Transformation at HP

Click here to learn more about the ITSMF Annual Awards Gala.

ITSMF Provides Career Coach Scholarships

Are you seeking innovative ways to advance your career in the IT industry?

If so, then we encourage you to take advantage of executive coaching scholarships offered by the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) for any eligible BDPA member. You have to be in attendance at 30th annual BDPA Technology Conference in Atlanta on August 6-9, 2008. Each participant will receive an hour of laser coaching designed to enhance their professional development.

Complete and return the goals assessment application if you are interested in applying for this $250 coaching scholarship experience. At a minimum, all applicants must be deemed as a "high potential" by their management in order to qualify for this scholarship program.

Please return your completed assessment on or before July 31, 2008 to Deborah Chima.

Candidates successfully completing the coaching may be considered for participation in the ITSMF Executive Protégé Program.

Winston-Salem State University Hosts ITSMF CIO Summit

Concerned by increasing shortages of African Americans within the information technology (IT) industry, a number of the nation's most successful African American information technology executives will join forces with Winston-Salem State University's (WSSU) Computer Science Department for a summit on the campus of WSSU at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 27 in the Elva Jones Computer Science Building.

WSSU and the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) are joining forces to host the first such panel of its kind. The Summit will feature discussions between the senior information technology management community and students from the WSSU computer science department and high school students selected from the Bill Gates Academy. Summit attendees will have the opportunity to learn how to develop and advance a career in IT.

"The focus will be to discuss ways to address shortages and begin filling a pipeline for tomorrow's African American Information Technology executives," said Dr. Elva Jones, chair of WSSU's Computer Science Department and professor of computer science. "African American Chief Information Officers and Chief Executive Officers from Fortune 500 companies will participate in an informative panel discussion and conduct interactive breakout sessions, in conjunction with the annual WSSU Computer Science Day."

Ultimately, officials will tackle the issue in several ways: Providing an IT career road map for junior- and senior-level college students in the computer science and business schools at Winston-Salem State University; Offering select high school students from the Bill Gates Academy, exposure to career options within information technology; Raising funds and awareness for the WSSU's Computer Science Endowment Fund, according to Jones.

"The members of ITSMF recognize the need for initiatives that foster growth and nurture the next wave of talent among non-C-Suite African-American IT professionals and students seeking to enter the field," says Zackarie Lemelle, vice president and chief information officer, Johnson & Johnson Information Technology Corporate Systems and ITSMF chair.

ITSMF/WSSU CIO Summit Panelists will include CIOs from companies such as Hanesbrands, Wachovia, State of Ohio and Johnson & Johnson.

African Americans represent a small percentage of those in the IT industry's C-Suite and the talent pool is becoming increasingly smaller. The percentage of employed African Americans in IT managerial and staff professional positions declined nearly 26 percent over the past 6 years, while the proportion of whites inched ahead by 2.3 percent. Employment within IT among Asians soared by more than 17 percent.

"Winston-Salem State University's computer science department continues to graduate great candidates for employment, and with experience, will be more than ready for the IT C-Suite," says Jones.

ITSMF is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to fostering upper-level executive talent among African American IT professionals. The organization's goal is to prepare African American IT professionals for senior-level responsibility by offering executive career development, mentoring, and networking opportunities for advancing their career.

Tavis Smiley is Keynote Speaker for ITSMF Awards Gala

International talk show host, broadcaster and author, Tavis Smiley, will present the keynote address at the ITSMF Awards Gala on Friday, February 8, 2008 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington DC. Smiley, who hosts the late night television show 'Tavis Smiley' and radio program 'The Tavis Smiley Show' is the first American to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both public television and public radio.

The ITSMF Awards Gala honors industry leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to the adancement of information technology while continuosly demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing diversity. The event is open to the public. Click here to register for the event.

Gala guests are the "who's who" of IT leaders from the public and private sectors and include representatives from Cisco, Dell, Deloitte, EDS, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson-Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft and PepsiCo, among others. More than 500 are expected to attend this sell-out event.

BETF-Blog Readers, do you plan to attend? Do you have questions about ITSMF that we might be able to answer here?

BDPA & ITSMF Create IT Fusion Leadership Seminar Series (Cincinnati)

BDPA Cincinnati and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) are collaborating to bring another IT Fusion Event to the Cincinnati USA region! BETF-Blog readers are encouraged to participate in this IT Fusion event to welcome Kenneth Frank (Senior Vice President, Alcatel Lucent) as he shares insight on his journey from the Classroom to the Boardroom.

These IT Fusion events provide a forum where mid-career IT professionals can network with peers, senior IT leaders, and business leaders from various industries in the Greater Cincinnati Area.

ITSMF provides a supportive network for enhancing the leadership skills of the IT executives who make up our membership as well as an outstanding mentoring program that helps dedicated mid-level managers grow into executive roles. BDPA is a member-focused technology organization that remains committed to excellence and providing a wide spectrum of resources to its stakeholders. The organization is a catalyst for professional growth and technical development for those in the IT industry.

Here are the logistics for this upcoming IT Fusion leadership seminar:

• When: - Monday December 10, 2007; Networking/Reception: 6 pm - 6:40 pm (Hors d'oeuvres, drawings - bring your business cards!); Program begins at 6:45 pm
• Where: - Marriott Kingsgate Conference Center (Click here for directions)
• Who: - Those in technology as well as friends and supporters of BDPA or ITSMF
• Cost: - This event is free, however you must RSVP

I attended the last IT Fusion Event and found it to be extremely enlightening from both an educational and networking perspective. In fact, it was at the last IT Fusion event that I first learned about the whole Second Life universe. I am known as Villager Barbosa in SL in case any of you are active over there.

I am hopeful that all 49 BDPA chapters will find ways to collaborate with ITSMF. BDPA Atlanta chapter did it successfully a few months ago. Now Cincinnati chapter is showing how it can be done. Is your chapter interested in learning more or meeting a local ITSMF executive?

Anyhow, for more information on this December 10th IT Fusion event you can contact BDPA Cincinnati chapter by phone (513.956-0636) or email (mailto:info@bdpa-cincy.org?).

ITSMF Helps Fill Information Technology Industry Pipeline

A number of BETF-Blog Readers have asked me about the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). I came across a comprehensive article that was published awhile ago in Minority Business News. I encourage you to take a moment to read the full article if you have time or inclination.

Some of the highlights include:

Carl Williams reached a lofty perch in the elite information technology industry in 1980s and ’90s when IT was not the most fashionable place for Africans Americans to be.

For some 20 years starting in the early 1980s, Williams worked in senior level IT positions as a chief information officer or vice president of information systems and technology for some large and important companies, including advertiser DDB Needham Worldwide and publisher Macmillan Publishing in New York, petrochemical firm Amoco Corp. in Chicago and investment house Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa.

His positions and active affiliations with organizations like the Society for Information Management put him in the loop of influence in the IT sector nationally. Yet, Williams would gaze across the landscape and could count other African Americans in executive positions in the field on one hand.

"I was constantly being sourced for senior-level professionals who happened to be people of color, and my pipeline was kind of dry," Williams said.

He decided he would move to fill and nurture that starved pipeline with African American IT talent, establishing the Information Technology Senior Management Forum in 1996. The ITSMF is a national organization focused on developing upper-level executive talent among African Americans in IT.

"My motivation was that I could see that it was a pretty decent career for folks if they really wanted to get into it and aspire to the top jobs," said Williams, the founding chairman who is now retired and consulting in Durham, NC

The organization says that fewer than 3 percent of all senior-level IT managers in the United States are African American — despite an African American population of 12.9 percent. The 95-member forum’s goal is to achieve a 10 percent participation of African Americans at all levels of IT management.

The ITSMF achieves its goals through sharing and leveraging members’ experiences, becoming role models and providing training, establishing networking platforms, identifying senior IT management promotion opportunities, developing strategic partnerships and mentoring high-potential IT professionals.

The group holds quarterly meetings, including one held in conjunction with the annual BDPA technology conference, and members openly discuss issues in IT, along with sharing ideas for advancing their careers.

The organization also holds an annual awards ceremony where it attracts high-level IT executives and presents awards to IT industry leaders and its corporate partners, which include Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard and EDS.

Another component for the organization is to create role models for aspiring African American professionals to emulate. "There aren’t many mentors for us that look like us. Our Executive Protégé Program provides a solution for that challenge by matching up and coming African American leaders with seasoned veterans. EPP is one of our cornerstone programs and allows our members to engage in mentoring to others and pass on some of their secrets to success," Curvie Burton said.

Click here to read the full article

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[NOTE: The photo at the top shows the 2006-07 ITSMF Executive Board Members are (back row, left to right) Robert Perrin, networking Magellan Associates; Michael McNeil, membership, Pitney Bowes; Michael Robinson, Corporate Partners Program, Microsoft; Larry Quinlan, vice chairperson Deloitte; Carl Williams, ITSMF founder; Curvie Burton, chairperson, EDS; Bruce Carver, corporate secretary, Dana; Doug Ash, Executive Protégé Program, Lockheed Martin; Jerome Oglesby, personnel, Deloitte; and A.J. Pearson, programs, HSBC; (Bottom row, left to right) are Kim Tubbs-Herron, marketing, Microsoft; Viola Maxwell-Thompson, executive director; Louise Tilmon, executive assistant; Stephanie Hill, finance, Bank of America, and Elaine Norman, bylaws, American Cancer Society].

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Would you care to share your thoughts on ITSMF? Have you seen more Black executives in the IT industry over the past decade?

Zack Lemelle * ITSMF Chairperson (2008-2009)

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) is very hopeful that we can develop a stronger relationship with the individual members of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) in the coming year. Quite frankly, we want to work with each of these powerful sisters and brothers to figure out how we can leverage their position on top of the glass ceiling in Corporate America in support of our funding goals.

I would love to find tangible ways to grow our Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund as well as increased human and financial resources to fully fund our chapter Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) programs in each of the 49 chapters around the country.

My belief is that BETF provides a non-profit charitable outlet that should be utilized to a greater extent by ITSMF on corporate and individual levels. I'm hopeful that these powerful executives will lead by example.

I was a member of ITSMF in 2004-2005 when I served as national BDPA president. I know the power of these brothers and sisters. We just have to figure out how to broaden our relationship in the coming weeks and months.

Truthfully, my spirits rose with the results of the recent ITSMF elections. Zack Lemille is the new ITSMF Chairperson ... the head nubian-in-charge for 2008-2009.

Check out this brother's creds:

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Zackarie Lemelle, Vice President, Information Technology Corporate Systems, is responsible for J&J Legal, Global Communications, Worldwide Operations, Corporate Office of Science and Technology, J&J Development Corporation, Global Marketing and next generation procurement technology.

Prior to this, Zack was Worldwide Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Information Technology & Business Process Management for Ethicon, Incorporated, a J&J company. In this position, Zack was responsible for leading all information technology and process reengineering efforts directed at strengthening and growing this global business. Zack has thirty years of experience in the field of Information Technology and Process Management. Prior to accepting his current assignment, he served as Vice President/CIO for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical. He also served as Director, Business Reengineering at Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical.

Zack is a founding member and former Co-Chair of the J&J African American Leadership Council. His community activities include Co-Chair, Helping Our Neighbor’s With Our Resources, a Deacon at his church and a little league baseball umpire and football referee.

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Do we have any ITSMF members or supporters that are also BETF-Blog Readers? If so, would you care to share your thoughts or vision for the future relationship between ITSMF and BETF?