Take Five: John Eckenrode (Baltimore)

John Eckenrode is the president and founder of CPSI. John has vast experience as an employee and contractor, having progressed through the ranks from programmer to project manager. I met John when his company hosted a quarterly meeting for the National BDPA Board of Directors. I've worked more closely with John over the past year in his role as a director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).

John was kind enough to respond to our Take Five questions:

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1. How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - Through the strong leadership of one of our long time contractors, Denise Holland. Denise was passionate and persistent in getting me involved with our local chapter and in national events.


2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - By far, the High School Computer Competition (HSCC). I believe some of the most valuable experiences we can give our young high school students are those which involve "success, we did it, wow, I learned something, it's a big world out there, etc." The HSCC fits this bill AND is very "grass roots" in that most of the money contributed to the chapters goes right to the students expenses for the program.


3. Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - Helping lead the fight in Maryland to repeal the computer services sales tax the legislature passed in 2007. I, along with many others, worked very hard to win the repeal. This effort was one of my most rewarding professional experiences.


4. Who is your hero and why? - I don't have any one hero, but rather a list of people over time, all very wise and learned individuals. Some of them include biblical characters like Moses, King Solomon, Jesus Christ, and the Apostle Paul. From a public service perspective, I consider Abraham Lincoln, FDR, and Ronald Reagan to be my list of the top three presidents, as well as Winston Churchill. From a business perspective, I most admire Jack Welsh (GE), Bill Gates (MicroSoft), Sam Walton (WalMart), Ray Kroc (McDonalds), Tom Watson Sr. (IBM), and a few others. As far as authors go, my top three are Jim Collins' "Good to Great", Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Sun Tsu's "The Art of War", written over 3,500 years ago.


5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - Our children are our future. We need to make a difference one child at a time.

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What are your thoughts about John's answers?

More Wealthy Americans Donating Through Foundations

BETF Directors Tayo Ibikunle and John Eckenrode are leading an effort to increase the flow of donations from high net-worth individuals into our SITES Endowment Fund. We were intriqued by an article written by Bradenton Herald's Grace Gagliano about the charitable giving of wealthy Americans. Here is an excerpt:

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The charitable giving of wealthy Americans like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates has called attention to philanthropy as a way to give back to the community while you are still living. Instead of leaving behind large estates that are taxed heavily before distributed, the wealthy can give through charitable organizations and protect their portfolios from government taxes.

Read full text.

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What would it take for you to give back to BDPA through our SITES Endowment Fund?

John Eckenrode Joins BDPA Foundation Board of Directors

BDPA Foundation exists to provide funds for the programs and services of BDPA at national and local level. We have a 9-person board of directors who set the policy and direction necessary to raise the funds neccessary for this mission.

We are very proud to welcome our newest board member ... John Eckenrode. Please take a moment to review his bio:

Mr. Eckenrode is the president and founder of CPSI. He has vast experience as an employee and contractor, having progressed through the ranks from programmer to project manager. Mr. Eckenrode started CPSI’s parent company, Innovative Data Processing, Inc., in 1985. In 1990 Mr. Eckenrode changed roles from professional consultant to full time executive, marketing and recruiting roles for the firm. CPSI was a BDPA corporate sponsor in 2005-2008.

Mr. Eckenrode holds both a BS and MS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters in Business from the Johns Hopkins University. He has been CDP (Certified Data Processor) and CSP (Certified Systems Professional) certified by the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals. Mr. Eckenrode has 15 years of information technology experience and 18 years of experience in executive, marketing and recruiting roles with CPSI.

Mr. Eckenrode served as the National Association of Computer Consulting Businesses (NACCB) chapter in Washington DC from 2006-2008. He was very active with recent lobbying efforts to repeal the Maryland State computer services sales tax. He co-founded the Maryland Computer Services Association, and is co-chair of the NACCB Maryland Tax Coalition.

Outside of work, Mr. Eckenrode has been active in leadership roles with his son’s Boy Scout troop in Ellicott City, and with his church in Columbia. He lives in Ellicott City with his wife of 23 years and two teenage children.

I met Mr. Eckenrode in November 2006 when his company hosted a quarterly national BDPA board meeting in Baltimore MD. His passion for BDPA was obvious to everyone who heard him speak that weekend. As such, I am very pleased to have him on the BDPA Foundation board of directors in 2009!