Rest In Peace: Malcom Mathis (BDPA St. Louis Chapter President)

We are deeply saddened to inform our BDPA membership that BDPA St Louis Chapter President, Malcom Mathis II, and his 22 month old son, Malcom Mathis III, passed away in a tragic incident. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Susan and a devoted father to his children. Malcolm was a generous and caring friend and colleague and the personification of Servant Leadership. His absence will be felt greatly.

Malcom served as BDPA St Louis Chapter President from 2016 - 2018, where he embodied BDPA beliefs and purpose, “to serve and elevate others and prepare students and young professionals today for leadership tomorrow”. Malcom also served as a member of the BDPA St. Louis Corporate Advisory Council. He generously gave his time and talents in many capacities in his community, including on the School Board for the Jennings School District.

For those who were fortunate to know Malcom well, you couldn’t help but admire how deeply he cared for his community and the people he worked with. He spent more than 6 years at the Monsanto Corporation most recently as a business architect and an active leader in the African Americans in Monsanto Network (AAIM). He was always a strong advocate for diversity in Monsanto.

A benefit account has been established at Commercial Bank for The Mathis Family. Make checks payable to The Mathis Family Benefit. This account has been verified by the Maryland Heights Police Department. This account was established to help raise funds for funeral expenses.


Contributions can be mailed to:
      Commercial Bank
      Attn: The Mathis Family Benefit
      2330 West Port Plaza Drive
      Maryland Heights, MO 63146

Long Story Short: Malcom Mathis II (BDPA St. Louis)

Mr. Malcom B. Mathis II works at Monsanto, a fortune 500 Agricultural Technology company, as an IT Business Architect for North America Supply Chain IT. Malcom has worked at Monsanto since 2011 and has taken on increasing responsibility each year. His work has taken him to numerous places in North America like Illinois, California and Iowa as well as Hawaii, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Malcom is an active contributor to the St. Louis community. He currently serves as President of the executive board of BDPA St. Louis chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in Information Technology. He volunteers in the Science and Agriculture Education Outreach program at Monsanto, chairs the Monsanto-BDPA scholarship committee and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Malcom Mathis (BDPA St. Louis Prez)

Malcom received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He went on to receive a Master’s in Analytical Chemistry from Kent State University in Ohio.

This blog wanted to get a more personal look into the personality of this rising BDPA leader. We asked Malcom to give brief answers to some odd questions. We hope you enjoy this new feature that we simply call, 'Long Story Short...'

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1. Simple things that make you happiest? - I get a flutter in my heart when my children playfully interact with each other.
 
2. Who You'd Like to Meet? - I would like to meet someone from the distant past and someone from the distant future (preferably of my lineage). It would be great to discuss how far we have come and where we are going.
 
3. Favorite Way to de-stress after a long week? - Play a round of golf. There is nothing like getting out and enjoying nature while playing golf; however, if I’m not hitting the ball well, it can add to the stress.
 
4. How you kill time in airports? - I try to time my arrival so I won’t have to wait long to board the plane. However, I will bring a book to read or spark up conversation with a random person. Many times I end up talking on the phone with my wife.

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Malcom is an outstanding leader for his chapter! He is doing all the right things to grow his chapter and I hope that other chapter leaders around the country look up to Malcom for support.

BDPA Lands Silver Level Sponsorship From Monsanto

BDPA is honored to receive a Silver Level Sponsorship of its 39th Annual National Technology Conference and Career Fair from Monsanto, an American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation. The BDPA Technology Conference is this week, July 26-29, 2017 at the Duke Energy Convention Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mike Williams

Mike A. Williams, National BDPA President reports, “Monsanto continues to be one of our generous and most consistent supporters. We are thankful for their sponsorship throughout the years and look forward to partnering with them for yet another year."

Monsanto Ranks as a 2016 Top 20 Employer in Science Magazine and is named as one of the ‘Greenest Companies’ in Newsweek’s 2016 Green Rankings. Monsanto also has a Diversity Program and is committed to their ‘Empowering Women in Agriculture through Higher Education’ program.

Vincent Shorter

Vincent Shorter, Monsanto Supply Chain IT Lead said, "Personally, I am proud and honored to be working with my Monsanto colleagues to help develop and inspire the next generation of diverse IT talent. Additionally, we are very engaged in developing our internal talent through leadership opportunities working with BDPA. In keeping with BDPA's motto - 'we are advancing careers from the classroom to the boardroom'."

BDPA is the largest African American Information Technology association in the U.S., and the largest national non-profit organization continually involved in training students underrepresented in STEM education across the country. For almost 40 years, BDPA has fulfilled its mission by bridging the digital divide and providing career growth opportunities for its members.

Malcom Mathis

BDPA’s St. Louis Chapter President Malcom Mathis commented, "Monsanto continues to show a commitment to BDPA. We are grateful for their partnership with our high school training program and their support of employee development through involvement with BDPA."

For more details about the BDPA Technology Conference or corporate sponsorship program, contact the corporate sales support team at (301) 584-3135 ext.108 or corpsales@bdpa.org. Additionally, please visit www.bdpa.org.

Election Results: BDPA St. Louis (2014-2015)

BDPA St. Louis chapter has a powerful legacy that has grown since its founding in January 1989. The chapter recently concluded elections that put in place those brothers and sisters who will take BDPA St. Louis chapter to the next level in 2014-2015. The following officers were elected in accordance with chapter bylaws:

President - Dwana Franklin-Davis (MasterCard)  

Executive Vice President - Jerry Walker (Nestle Purina)  

Vice President, Finance - Marvis Hollis (Macy's)  

  Vice President, Membership Management- Lionel Phillips (IBM)  

Vice President, Strategy & Planning - Malcom Mathis, (Monsanto)  

Other appointed leaders in the chapter include:

• HSCC Coordinator - Tiffany Jones (Monsanto)
• Communications Coordinator - Tiffany Pierre (Unknown)

Please join all of BDPA in welcoming these new leaders as they strive to advance the careers of African Americans in the information technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom in the state of Missouri. They have some large shoes to fill ... however, the chapter also has some powerful corporate support and it currently stands as the 11th-largest BDPA chapter in the nation.