Hotep! BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) exists to provide financial support for BDPA. We share information about fundraising, funding sources and BDPA programs on this blog. The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent BDPA’s positions, strategies or opinions.
Eloise Young - Chief Information Officer, Philadelphia Gas Works - Eloise Young is a remarkable role model for BDPA members in her role as the chief information officer for a major utility company - Philadelphia Gas Works. BDPA first met Eloise at the 2010 BDPA Technology Conference when she shared insights on a panel of IT executives. Later, she agreed to support BDPA by joining the BDPA Philadelphia chapter's Corporate Advisory Council. We look forward to hearing what Eloise has to say about both the IT industry and BDPA! Her twitter handle is @en_young.
John Hoffler - UNIX Engineering Manager, BB&T Bank - John Hoffler has a remarkable BDPA legacy. He is one of only five people in almost 40 years of BDPA history to serve as president of two difference BDPA chapters (Greenville and St. Louis). His two children have both competed in the national BDPA High School Computer Competition championships. However, John wants to share his insights from Corporate America with our BDPA iRadio Show audience. He wants to provide some advice to graduating college students who are going after their first job in a STEM-related field. His tips are based on first-hand experiences from interviewing candidates for junior engineering positions. His local chapter's twitter handle is @bdpacharlotte. We hope you enjoy the insights and commentary on the show from each of these guests. Please take a moment to post a comment to let us know that you care!
Over 130 High School & College Students throughout the North Carolina region attended the 20th annual Minority Student Day hosted in Charlotte, NC by Blacks @ Microsoft (BAM). A number of BDPA Charlotte chapter members were in attendance, including the chapter president Julius Clark and chapter president-elect Markus Beamer.
BDPA & BAM Leaders
BDPA Charlotte member John Hoffler conducted a workshop introducing the BDPA High School Computer Competition for the young people in attendance. Also, BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) executive director Wayne Hicks was honored for the leadership and excellence of his professional organization in the field of education.
Minority Student Day was fully supported by the Microsoft executives in North Carolina. I encourage BDPA leaders from around the nation to find ways to connect with BAM to participate in this event next year! Minority Student Day is a wonderful way to create awareness about BDPA programs and impact on influencers in the field of education and technology.
BETF would like to thank BAM North Carolina co-chairs Kevin Robinson and Iona Wilson for their hospitality and vision. They are truly examples of why Microsoft is an Industry Leader in Technology, Diversity, Innovation and Corporate Citizenship.
I'll share the answer at the end of this Take Five interview with John Hoffler.
How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - It's hard to remember now, but I believe I was introduced to BDPA through an article in Black Enterprise. The article included the national site URL, so I searched the site for a St. Louis chapter. Once I joined BDPA I quickly became involved in the St. Louis HSCC program. Mark Grady was the chapter president and we had frequent conversations about what the chapter could do to make an impact on the St. Louis community. Mark encouraged me to run for president.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - I have often commented that when we are young we imagine that we can change the world. As we grow more mature we begin to realize that changing the world requires a broad range of skills. BDPA St. Louis was an organization that collected people with different skills and different life experiences, but the same overarching goals. We sought to make volunteering as easy and stress-free as possible, building a chapter of teachers, database administrators, project managers, programmers, and even graphic artists. We felt like we could take on any program that was sufficiently valuable. That feeling was the most rewarding aspect of working BDPA -- the feeling that we could change the world.
Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - During my freshman year at MIT I answered a volunteer request to help the supply officer at my Navy ROTC unit. My first semester had not gone very well, both from an academic and military point of view. Only in hindsight do I see that I wasn't successful because I wasn't engaged. I believe that many people obey the rule, "the less you do, the less you want to do." Working in the supply office made ROTC a bigger part of my college life, which led me to invest more in all other facets of the ROTC program. I also got more engaged outside of ROTC. I joined the MIT Jazz Band and volunteered as a physics and math tutor with the Black Student Union. The turn-around was profound. I was a poorly ranked freshman, nearly kicked out of ROTC by an academic review board. Junior year I earned the first straight-A's in my life during what is supposed to be an MIT Physics major's most difficult semester. That feat helped me become Midshipman of the Year for Academic Excellence. The following year I was appointed Battalion Executive Officer, the second highest rank in the ROTC unit. My college experience has taught me that engagement counts - I fully engage in all endeavors and I only undertake activities that justify the time commitment associated with full engagement.
Who is your hero and why? - I don't have the sort of personality that contemplates hero status for people.
Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - BDPA is a volunteer organization focused on the relationship of Information Technology and African Americans with regard to education, business, and the general community. Monetary funding is only one third of the support BDPA needs for its mission. We need experience and ideas about how BDPA can make a positive impact on the world. That's what gives your donation meaning. Finally, we need "boots on the ground" - your volunteer time gives these world-impacting ideas concrete substance. If you've given of your purse, also consider giving your mind and your hands.
John is a remarkable man. It is worth noting that his daughter was a member of the BDPA Charlotte HSCC team that competed for the 2009 national championship in Raleigh NC.
Oh yeah ... the answer to the question in the opening paragraph? Methinks that these are the only five people in BDPA's history to serve as chapter president for more than one chapter: Bailey (Washington DC and Inland Empire), Banks (Bay Area and Kansas City), Hoffler (St. Louis and Greenville), Mays (Washington DC and Cleveland) and McCrimmon (Indianapolis and Atlanta).
We are very pleased to report that BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has been designated to receive charitable contributions through the Wells Fargo 2009 Community Support and United Way Campaign.
The donors are John Hoffler (Charlotte) and Shon Thurman (Greater Birmingham). John designated his payroll pledge in support of BDPA Charlotte chapter (75%) and BETF Endowment Fund (25%).
Our hope is that other Wells Fargo employees will make payroll pledges to support BDPA programs and services. Should you have questions, please contact the Campaign Hotline at (888) 518-4438 or email wellsfargo@easymatch.com.
BDPA strives to keep its members at the cutting edge of technology. BDPA Charlotte chapter positions itself as the premiere professional group for people of African descent working in the information technology industry. Evidence of these two factoids can be found in the upcoming September 2007 program meeting hosted by the Charlotte chapter. One of the highest-rated technical workshops given last month at the national BDPA technology conference is being reprised for a Carolina audience.
John Hoffler is a technology genius currently working in Wachovia's retail technology group. He is a business owner and served as past president of our BDPA chapters in St. Louis MO and Greenville SC. John plans to share state-of-the art information on End-to-End Application Monitoring. If you attend this month's program meeting you will learn about:
The 3 Tiers of a typical Multi-Tiered Web Architecture
The components of an effective end-to-end monitoring solution
How to obtain real value from the monitoring data
Regardless of your personal discipline within the technology industry ... you will find information that you can use from John's presentation.
Location: Charlotte Chamber of Commerce (Corner of S. Tryon & 2nd street) When: Tuesday, September 18 @ 6:00 pm
