BDPA Awards Epsilon Awards to Individuals and Names Top Company for Blacks in Technology

Since its inception in 1975, BDPA has been promoting and advancing the interest and careers of African Americans in the field of Computer Science and Information Technology. BDPA has cultivated and sustained mutually beneficial partnerships with public, private and government entities that employ our members or support our on-going efforts to be a powerful advocate for our stakeholders' interests within the global technology industry.

In 2012, National BDPA recognized a number of companies and individuals who personify excellence, demonstrate a commitment to people and understand that fostering a culture of diversity has bottom line business value.

Dr. Craig Brown (BDPA), Walter Joppy (JnJ), TBD (JnJ), Regan Scrugs (JnJ) and Monique Berry (BDPA)

The Corporate Epsilon and Top Company for Blacks in Technology Awards recognize companies who are role models in terms of tenure/promotions, training, retention, supplier diversity and community outreach. During its 2012 BDPA Technology Conference, National BDPA recognized Johnson & Johnson as the Top Company for Blacks in Technology.

Other finalists for the top company award included: Health Care Service Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Merck, Walmart, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

Clark and Thrower

Individual Epsilon awards are bestowed upon individuals nominated in one of the following categories: Most Promising Technologist, Professional Achievement, Career Achievement, or Community Service.

The following individuals were recognized during the 2012 BDPA Technology Conference: Most Promising Technologist, Rashsaan Alston; Career Achievement, Julius Clark and Gwendolyn Davis; Professional Achievement, Susan Barker and Baron Thrower; and Community Service, William Holdipp, Jr.

The 2013 Epsilon Awards program cycle begins soon. Listed below are the key dates.

• Applications Available - January 7, 2013
• Nomination deadline - May 3, 2013
• Epsilon Awards announced - June 7, 2013
• Top Company For Blacks In Technology awarded - August 17, 2013

If you have any questions regarding the 2013 Epsilon Award program or would like an application package, please feel free to contact Jesse Mathews at epsilon-awards@bdpa.org.

BDPA iRadio Show - June 28, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders.  We were blessed to have creativity from the show's host (Franne McNeal) and one of the scheduled guests (Renetta English)!

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on Blog Talk Radio

Renetta English - is the BDPA New York chapter president.  She shared 'best practices' from her chapter.   Her insights were remarkable and anyone who is involved in BDPA needs to take a moment to listen to what Renetta had to say.  Renetta is truly a remarkable chapter president!

Two other BDPA chapter presidents called into the show to share their insights as well.  BDPA Charlotte chapter president Julius Clark turned the discussion to the issue of members who are unemployed or under-employed.  He was looking for success stories where BDPA helped a member with his or her career.

BDPA New Jersey chapter president Goldie Bonney informed the audience of the Families In Technology Day activities hosted each year.   This year the chapter was able to raffle over 60 refurbished laptop computers to families in attendance.

Our host for this show is Franne McNeal.  The technical advisor is John Malonson.  The show is sponsored by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Feel free to use the POST REPLY option below if you have questions or suggestions re: the BDPA iRadio Show!

BDPA iRadio Show - June 14, 2011

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) successfully produced its first Internet radio show! BETF is extremely grateful to Franne McNeal who served as the host of the BDPA iRadio Show. Franne was able to smoothly handle all of the challenges of bringing the BDPA message out to an international audience via BlogTalkRadio.

Our plan is to produce BDPA iRadio Show on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. We hope that you will support our efforts. Here is the first show for your enjoyment!

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on Blog Talk Radio

The guests on the June 14th show were:

Julius Clark & Wayne Hicks

Wayne Hicks:  executive director, BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (Twitter: BDPA) - focused on the evolution of BDPA and BETF over the past 35 years.   Gave life to the 'classroom to the boardroom' tagline by sharing story of BDPA member Stephanie Lampkin Brown who has gone from being a high school student learning about computers through BDPA to now being an IT professional with one of the largest technology corporations in the world.
 
Julius Clark: information security officer, Wells Fargo (Twitter: JuliusClark) - shared his passion for information security as well as some insights on steps that we should take to avoid being hacked.  You can learn more from his blog, Clark Thought Leadership.

Clifford Clarke

Clifford Clarke: president, C2 IT Advisors - discussed the technological revolution and its impact on employment in the IT industry.  Invited listeners to be part of the BDPA Entrepreneurial Fireside Chat taking place on June 15th.

John Malonson: chapter president, BDPA Los Angeles (Twitter: Malonson) - shared some tangible 'best practices' on chapter administration, youth education, strategic alliances, chapter website development and marketing program meetings.   There is a ton of information and referrals in this section of the program.

John Malonson

 Please share your feedback on the BDPA iRadio Show.  Any questions or comments on the information provided in this week's show?  What did you like?   What would you like to see added, deleted or revised in future shows?   Who would you like to hear as a guest on future shows?   What topics would you like to see covered on future shows?

We can only get better if we hear from you!   What say u?

Blacks At Microsoft: Minority Student Day (Charlotte)

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.

Here is media coverage of Minority Student Day from local TV News Carolina 14 & Fox Charlotte News.








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.

Message from Charlotte Chapter President

On behalf of the BDPA Charlotte Executive Board, I would like to wish BDPA members, sponsors, partners, supporters and the entire Charlotte community a Happy New Year!

I am eager to begin serving you as a chapter president of this amazing and influential organization. People ask why I have spent the last 10 years being so actively involved with BDPA as a volunteer. The answer is simple. BDPA has allowed me to demonstrate my executive leadership potential when glass ceilings would not. My experiences with BDPA have allowed me to overcome those hurdles and grow as a professional. Now, I have the privilege to serve as chapter president and give back to this important technology organization. I have a deep passion for Information Technology & Engineering with a career that spans more than 20 years in Aerospace, Banking, Biotechnology, Insurance, Manufacturing and Information Security.

BDPA Charlotte is planning an exciting 2010. My first task as president was to create the brand new role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) for BDPA Charlotte. The CIO role will showcase the technical prowess that BDPA Charlotte is well known for by providing Information Technology Thought Leadership for its members, stakeholders and Charlotte community. My second task involved forming a partnership between BDPA Charlotte and the Urban League of the Carolinas. Together, we will have greater impact influencing students from underserved communities to pursue careers in Information Technology in the Charlotte area.

One of the most powerful benefits of BDPA; which I coined “IT Career Revival”, is the annual BDPA Technology Conference. The 2010 National Conference will be held in Philadelphia, July 28 – July 31, 2010; the city of brotherly love! Along with the many technology workshops and seminars held each day, employers from private industry, government and U.S. military participate in a two day career fair and some offer interviews right on the spot! If you are seeking a new career or wanting to relocate, the BDPA National Conference is an event you can’t afford to miss. We all have persevered and worked through challenges to make it to 2010.

Although positive news is being reported about the economy recovering, many of you are facing unemployment and looking for your next career opportunity. As the premier organization for African Americans in Information Technology, BDPA is here to help you meet this challenge. Businesses and entrepreneurs are poised for growth in 2010 and will rely on information technology more than ever to compete for market share. BDPA offers the business community the ability to interface and network with one of the most diverse and skilled talent pools in the country. Since BDPA offers the most diverse and skilled talent pools in Information Technology, corporations partner with us to acquire untapped talent.

Lastly, I want you all to know that the BDPA Charlotte Executive Board is committed to meeting your expectations for providing distinguished technology professionals as speakers at our monthly meetings, as well as career, and networking and opportunities. Now, we can’t do this alone and need your help. BDPA Charlotte needs savvy professionals; be you new to IT or a seasoned veteran. BDPA places its members at the forefront of the Information Technology field and as BDPA Charlotte’s new president I invite you to join our organization to reap its many benefits!

Additionally, your membership dollars help support our professional and K-12 educational programs, and your participation makes the organization more responsive to the people it serves.

In closing, I look forward to a mutually satisfying professional relationship with everyone associated with BDPA in the Charlotte community. The door is always open to you!

Sincerely,
Julius Clark Sr., MBA, CISSP, CISA
President BDPA Charlotte
Website http://www.bdpa-charlotte.org/
Blog: http:clarkthoughtleadership.blogspot.com
Phone: (704) 953-8379

Take Five: Julius Clark (Charlotte)

I must admit that I'm excited to see the the future evolution of the BDPA chapter in Charlotte, NC. The chapter is about to be energized by the youthful intensity and integrity of the incoming president -- Julius Clark. Julius is part of the new generation of African American leadership that is beginning to take control of our BDPA chapters around the nation.

Julius participated in our Take Five interview series:

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1. How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - I am a native of Boston and first heard of BDPA while living there, but I never had the opportunity to attend a meeting. I built a good IT employment network in Boston and after moving to Charlotte in 1999 it was very important for me to establish my employment network in this city. In 2000 I discovered that BDPA had a Charlotte chapter. I attended my first BDPA Charlotte meeting and was delighted to be in the company of African American brothers and sisters who all shared a passion for Information Technology like I did. Being new to Charlotte I made sure I attended every monthly meeting. At that time Archie Lucy was president. He followed up with me each month after I had attended to a few meetings, which made me feel very connected with the local BDPA organization. The board asked if I would like to talk to Johnson C. Smith College students about the Information Technology profession, and soon after that they asked me to become Coordinator for our High School Computer Competition program.
   
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - Being able to help introduce high school students to the Information Technology and mentor adults in the field is the most rewarding. Since I graduated from high school, I always wanted to give back to the African American community in a huge way. The BDPA allows me to give back to my community with something I love; technology!
   
3. Tell us about a defining moment in your life? - One defining life moment was when I received my BS in Electronic Engineering, with both of my parents both in the audience; I was the first person in my family to earn a college degree.
   
4. Who is your hero and why? - Besides my parents, Malcolm X became my hero. After reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley at the age of 21, my perspective on my life and community changed; It’s like a light switch got turned on in my thinking and I instantly knew how to be a strong Black leader for my community.
   
5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - My advice is to give what you can afford, and just don’t allow it to only be monetary-- get involved with your local BDPA Chapter or the BETF and donate Thought Leadership to make it more personal and share your experience and excitement about our cause with others.

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Julius is taking over a chapter that is the 15th largest in the nation. I suspect his leadership team will have BDPA Charlotte chapter in the Top 10 before long! What say u?

Election Results: BDPA Charlotte (2010-2011)

BDPA Charlotte chapter was created in September 1988. The chapter has a rich history of leadership in the BDPA community. The legacy of the chapter will continue into 2010-2011 based on recent election results.

• Chapter President, Julius Clark (Wells Fargo)
• Chapter President-Elect, Markus Beamer (Bank of America)

Julius Clark wrote,

"I am happy to announce that Markus Beamer, current VP of Strategy & Planning, was elected as the 2010-2011 President-Elect for BDPA Charlotte. Markus has been a dedicated member of the BDPA Charlotte family, most notably as trainer for the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program. Markus has demonstrated a strong passion of educating the next generation of students and walks the talk of our creed; “Advancing Careers From the Classroom to the Boardroom”. Markus is a rising leader in the IT industry who also has a tremendous passion for developing online video/strategy games in his spare time. Markus is a very talented individual and will serve the Charlotte community well."

Markus Beamer wrote,

"My name is Markus Beamer. I was born in Tacoma Washington but was raised in Columbia South Carolina. I come from a family of 4 boys and 2 girls and thus am used to a very hectic environment. “Never a dull moment” is certainly the motto for our home growing up. That’s probably why 11 years ago I turned to technology for a career, “Never a dull moment” sums up its progress quite nicely.

During my college years, at the College of Charleston, my first exploration into technology was as a web developer for a software licensing firm. I started out typing HTML and Javascript into a simple notepad window. Through the years I touched upon CSS, Java, Visual Basic, PHP, mySQL, Photoshop, Access, Oracle and MS SQL Server in that exact order. However, I find it quite amusing that to this day when I want to write a bit of code I reach for my notepad application first ... no matter the language. Needless to say, I found a love in technology. No matter how much I knew, I never was bored, as something new was but a day away. Change was always going to come.

Of course change can come when you grow the family. Currently my family is in Charlotte North Carolina. I am the lucky husband to one fine lady and the proud father of two rambunctious boys. I am happy to say that my household carries on the tradition of “Never a dull moment”. My oldest son is crazy for electronics and all things technical. My youngest son is definitely the outdoor, rough and tumble kinda fella. They both attract their fair share of friends and our house has become the “neighborhood” house. (much to my wife’s dismay!)

I currently work at Bank of America as a Business Process Consultant. When asked, I tell friends and family that my role is to help “leadership” make the best use of technology and in truth this is what I do. However the role affords me much more than that, I am at a crucial nexus where the needs, desires and ambitions of the business meet the calculations, formulas and algorithms of technology. It’s a great place to be and I don’t think I’ll change it for some time to come.

But…

At times one gets bored with the day to day. It is in those times that I turn to my hobby of game building. Like most hobbies it is silly yet fulfilling. I build small games that can be played in a browser; my specialty is to build them with JavaScript so they do not require any plug-ins or downloads to play. Sometimes the games are role based, sometimes they are card based, other times they are …different. I have been doing this since 1999. I laugh when I think of the number of games I have written and thrown by the wayside (at last count 24). But that is what a hobby is…a wasted time that allows the mind, body and soul to reset.

I hope that having learned a little more about me, you will reach out and shake my hand. I am always happy to meet new folks."

I hope that you will take a moment and share some BDPA-Love with Markus and Julius as they embark on this remarkable journey!

Information Security for Small Business (Orlando)

BDPA Charlotte chapter president-elect Julius Clark was guest presenter for the October 2009 program meeting hosted by BDPA Orlando chapter. The topic of the presentation was Information Security for Small Business. Here is the presentation slideshow from that program meeting:

Information Security For Small Business

View more presentations from Pablo More.

Is this a topic being covered over the next few months by your chapter? What learnings did you get from reviewing this slideshow?

BDPA Blogger: Julius Clark (Charlotte)

We are pleased to welcome BDPA Charlotte chapter president-elect Julius Clark to the afrosphere! He recently created a new blog, Clark Thought Leadership. The purpose of this blog is to provide Thought Leadership in the area of Information Technology and Security.

Julius seeks to satisfy his humanitarian inner being by assisting and encouraging others to give back to their communities and champion creativity while solving problems.

I look forward to seeing the evolution of Julius' blog (BBR #1508) over the coming weeks and months. Please use the COMMENTS option below to share your thoughts on the whole blogging phenonenom.

Are there any other BDPA bloggers out there?

2008 African American Information Technology Experience

by: Guest Blogger Julius Clark

I pulled these statistics from different sources to make a compelling point regarding the state of the African American Information Technology Professional in 2008. Barack Obama used the Internet to help him win the presidency like no other and has re-written the book on political campaigning.

African Americans receive 20% of all undergraduate Business degrees awarded in this country. Very impressive statistic, but we receive only 3% of all Computer Science undergraduate degrees, when technology professionals are in such a despite demand in this country; despite the color of an individual, and despite the slowing economy.

We have a lot of work to do in influencing our children to pursue careers in technology. It can be difficult when on one end of the spectrum, Science and Technology competes with little punch against the images of athletics and entertainment, which are so dominant in the African American culture for just a small few of individuals to successfully get into.

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Here is what I found in my research:

1. Community - African American children have made strives and the digital divide is narrowing in our community, but we need to stop boring our brightest children to death with continued basic computer literacy. They need to be taught how to solve problems with computers and the Internet.
2. Academia/ College
• African Americans represent 13-14% of the American Population, but only represent 3% of BS degrees awarded in Computer Science. This could change if we emphasize early to kids to use computers to solve problems.
• Only 1% of PhD degrees are earned by African Americans this year and each year in the near future. People with the PhDs get money to research problems. The problem here is that our community has lots of problems, yet only 1% of African Americans with PhDs are qualified as researchers at universities to seek the funding to research solutions for our communities problems. This is not an efficient problem solving method.
3. IT Professional
• Only 3% of Information Technology jobs are held by African Americans. Hmmm... this number is the same as BS degrees awarded to African Americans.
• African American IT professionals are making 85.9 cents to every dollar of our white computer Professionals. Last year we made 86.4 percent; we lost some ground.
• One identified gap for the salary lag: "intangibles" -- subjective factors that determine where in the compensation range an individual falls. The building of trusted relationships that enables people to reach the higher end of the subjective range apparently hasn't strengthened in the past year and is disappointing.

• Whites saw a 3.4% compensation increase from last year, compared with 2.7% for African Americans, the lowest increase for any ethnicity
4. 2008 Computerworld Salary Survey - Click here to the survey
5. Heartening Discoveries -
• African American children are addicted to computers and the Internet and want to be challenged more. Let's not bore or ignore them.
• When asked how satisfied they were with their decision to pursue an IT career, 89.3% of African Americans said they were satisfied or very satisfied. That's the highest percentage of support for the career path voiced by any ethnicity, including whites, at 84.5%. Hey, we love what we do!!
6. eCommerce - In 2008 African Americans made up 11.8% of all Internet purchases. Very high numbers here and they are rising. We need to get more African American students interested in Computer Science and get some of this eCommerce money.

My Final Thoughts - An Information Technology career is the best return on investment for your money and time. The satisfaction rate of African Americans in IT demonstrate our perseverance as a people in the wake of continuing disparities. I welcome the future with hopeful feelings. Let's keep it with the "Change We Need" and "From the Classroom to the Boardroom" mantras. Go BDPA Information Technology Thought Leaders!!!

Championing the cause,
Julius Clark, President-Elect
BDPA Charlotte Chapter

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We are very pleased to post this op-ed piece from Julius. Please use the COMMENTS below to share your thoughts with Julius on his research and commentary. Julius is an example of the IT Thought Leaders that are in BDPA. Are you active with BDPA in your city?