Grant Recipient: BDPA Cleveland ($539)

BDPA Cleveland Computer Camp

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) approved a $539 funding request from BDPA Cleveland chapter earlier this month. The funds are needed by the chapter in order to support its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The chapter is engaged in active STEM-based training of high school students in web-based programming and general computer skills. The chapter plans to bring a number of these students to the Midwest Regional HSCC and IT Showcase held on June 11, 2011 in Cincinnati as well as the 2011 National BDPA HSCC championship held later this year in Chicago.

BETF was able to review and approve this funding request within 24 hours because the chapter followed the simple 7-step funding process laid out on our website. Our hope is that all 45 local BDPA chapters will aggressively pursue funding sources and opportunities in concert with BETF over the coming weeks and months.

This particular funding request was spearheaded by BDPA Cleveland chapter president Henry Wiggins, chapter past president Ken Wilson and chapter SITES coordinator Sylvia Calhoun.

BDPA Cleveland chapter hopes to be in a position to provide college scholarships to some of the students in their SITES program. Perhaps you can help these young people continue to pursue their interest in technology?

BDPA Cleveland Chapter Honors 2009 SITES Participants

BDPA Cleveland Chapter Honors 2009 SITES Participants. This 3-part video was taken at Community Meeting hosted on 11/17/2009 by BDPA Cleveland chapter. This 3-part video features an introduction by the chapter president (Ken Wilson) as well as an overview of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program by the chapter coordinator (Sylvia Calhoun). Please note that the Oracle Scholarship is discussed in the 3rd video.


Part 1-of-3



Part 2-of-3



Part 3-of-3


Video Credit: Henry Ford

Message from Cleveland Chapter President

I've known Ken Wilson for almost 20 years. He is a remarkable brother with a strong legacy in BDPA and an accomplished entrepreneur and business owner. I was pleased to see that the BDPA members in Cleveland voted Ken into office as their chapter president. I thought you would enjoy reading his campaign message to chapter members last month when he ran for the leadership position.

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Dear BDPA Cleveland Members,

My name is Kenneth Wilson. I am running for President of BDPA Cleveland chapter and asking for your vote and your active participation in the new BDPA Information Technology Thought Leaders organization that we are building.

BDPA became an inseparable part of my life 27 years ago when it rescued my drowning data-processing programming career. Rather than seeking a new vocation, BDPA empowered me to launch a successful and fulfilling information technology business career. I have been an active member ever since.

For the past several months, I have been talking with other BDPA members, Corporate Advisory Council and community leaders, planning and praying for wisdom to determine where we should go from here. During this process, more than a few members suggested that I run for Chapter President in the upcoming elections. My first reaction was that I should step aside and help mentor some of our younger leadership, as I have already successfully been there and done that. Then it was suggested to me that taking the helm would be the very best way to provide that needed mentorship. So finally I said yes.

• Yes! I continue to believe that the African American business and technology professional will become more prepared, more highly regarded, more respected and more consistently looked upon as a world-class leader in business and technology.
• Yes! I continue to accept as true that BDPA continues to contain the potential to make life-changing improvements in the career and business success of hundreds (if not thousands) of African American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, Native-American, European-American and other professional people.
• Yes! I am steadfastly convinced that as conscientious community citizens, BDPA members have the talent and the moral responsibility to become fully-engaged partners in the technological and economic renaissance and revitalization of Northeast Ohio.

If you are an active BDPA member, I ask for your continued commitment. If, for whatever reason there might have been, you allowed your membership to lapse, your participation to decline or your dream to defer, I urge you to reinstate your membership, renew your involvement and reawaken your dream.

It is with willing anticipation of committed service that I humbly ask you to trust me with the responsibility and privilege of leading BDPA Information Technology Thought Leaders, Cleveland / Northeast, Ohio to our inevitable greatness.

Sincerely,
Kenneth L. Wilson

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His words had their intended effect. Ken was overwhelmingly elected to serve as 2008-2009 president of our BDPA Cleveland chapter. I encourage you to take a moment to share some BDPA-Love with Bro. Wilson! Let him know that you support his efforts in Cleveland to advance the careers of African Americans within our industry from the classroom to the boardroom.

BDPA Cleveland Election Results

BETF-Blog Readers, please join me in congratulating the 2008-2009 officers of the BDPA Cleveland chapter.

2008-2009 BDPA Cleveland Chapter Officers

• President - Kenneth Wilson (Wilco Information Management)
• President-Elect - Aubrey Morgan (KeyBank)
• VP-Finance - David Moore (Self-Employed)
• Immediate Past President - Willard Brown (National City)
• Founder - Norman Mays (Self-Employed)

These brothers have the challenge of maintaining the remarkable legacy of a chapter, founded in November 1980, that currently sits as the 8th largest chapter in America. Share some love in the comments section for Kenneth (shown in photo) and his incoming leadership team.