Message from Midwest Region Vice President

Michael & Elizabeth Wulf

Greetings Midwest Presidents!

Many of you know my wife, Elizabeth, and I raised money by doing www.Ride4Charity.org. We created a unique way to raise awareness and enough money towards establishing a BDPA learning management platform that is dedicated to broadening the reach of BDPA tech education out to the kids in the community. Initially to impact our youth ... then adults, veterans and so forth. This promise to you was also part of my campaign speech as Regional VP so our collaborative need to make delivery of BDPA services in education easier for you as a chapter leader.

We (a lot of people) have been very successful in establishing a Moodle LMS hosting environmentl  Now we are implementing a 10 week (20 module) set of courses.  For example, HTML, CSS and JavaScript modules make up one course.

We have branded this effort "BDPA Academy". The new website name is http://BDPA.Academy

BDPA Academy is NOT THE HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER COMPETITION (HSCC) in any way, shape or form. It is a set of courses that can be used as a feeder to HSCC over time by harvesting excited students interested in deepening their options, education, and career in programming. It is a great way to engage new learners and give them options in IT.

It is also intended to help chapters establish a consistent & sustainable SITES program without losing intellectual training property every time a volunteer turns over. It is also a way to provide membership value and add to the many BDPA opportunities to donate and join.

Here is our roll-out schedule:

• Spring 2015: we introduce Level 1-HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

• Fall 2015:  we build out a Level 2-JavaScript, algorithm, database - type course and release it for Spring 2016. Yet another HSCC prep course for you to leverage.

• Spring 2016: we offer a Level 3 set of language and application integration courses that you could use to identify your future participants for either the comprehensive SITES program or the more specific HSCC program.  Level 3 focus would be on C#, PhP and Java.

• Fall 2016: we will seek certification either from the IT industry or self-certification. The curriculum will leverage resources that provide certificates (such as W3Schools).  Chapters or students may initially select to subsidize these certificates but we hope current efforts by some chapters will help refine and deliver this collaboratively in time.

The beauty of BDPA Academy is we'll also expand offerings beyond just programming to facilitate other areas of IT ...  such as cyber security, infrastructure, hardware, OS, mobile tech, Google, office productivity and more.

This is your personal invitation to join the February 2015 launch.

What we need to deploy the BDPA Academy in your chapter is as simple as 1-2-3:

1. A physical location with 5-10 computers
2. A truly dependable and dedicated teacher with HTML/CSS experience *and* an assistant.
3. A willingness to "facilitate learning" of the curriculum and provide feedback along the way to BDPA Academy so we can refine and create a rock solid platform for national release in 2016.

If your SITES program is already solid then please keep up the awesome work! If you think there is value for your SITES program, this could be part of a two-year strategy to build a great program and feed HSCC team.

If your SITES program is solid ... but you struggle with a pipeline of students each year or have a willing volunteer teacher but no course structure then consider taking this out to a community center like a Boys & Girls club and use it to impact even more youth. This will deepen their membership passion and value as BDPA.

We hope to enroll 100 new students in the 2015 BDPA Academy.   We want to double that number to 1,000 in the 2016 BDPA Academy.

This invite is sent to Midwest presidents for the launch year. As your regional officers, it is extremely important Eric and I provide you with options and opportunities to grow and strengthen your chapter. Many of you as well as other leaders in BDPA have shared this vision. Eric and I are proud to be in our roles to see this through as your regional team.

Please contact me directly (michael.wulf@bdpa.org) if you have questions or wish to discuss further.  I'm very interested to know if you think this is of interest within your chapter!

Michael Wulf, vice president
BDPA Midwest Region
Twitter: @MichaelGWulf

Message from BDPA Midwest Region Officers

BDPA Midwest Region officers Michael Wulf (vice president) and Eric Dortch (director) provide a welcoming message for the guests at the 18th Annual BDPA Cincinnati Education Banquet held on October 4, 2014.



Even if you can't be with at the banquet in person ... you can still help by making a secure online donation in support of the chapter's Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Message from Incoming BDPA Midwest Region Vice-President

Michael Wulf

Last time I was in Reno, NV I bowled a 3-game series of #600 ("my best ever") ... this time its about what drives me: "Culture for Service, Service to Humanity" - now serving on the National BDPA board of directors.

This weekend marks my first ever meeting as a national officer representing the BDPA Midwest Region as Vice-President. I've had my reality checks and now I adjust and learn from my peers. I am truly honored to have been asked and selected to represent the fine work done by so many dedicated volunteers at BDPA. They work tirelessly to create networking and training opportunities for emerging and existing IT professionals.

In addition, a tradition of giving back by "raising up" youth in the community by offering incredible (free) application development training and more to middle & high school students that have an interest in making a career and bettering their odds at getting a six-figure income. Many kids trained by BDPA come out of high school ready to take on corporate application development roles in traditional and mobile platforms.

I thank God every day for allowing me enough strength to work, go to school, ride and volunteer. Everything I do must have a purpose, somehow, ... for some reason I am placed on this earth for a reason. Taking the Blessings others have given to me along my life and career and hopefully doing "good" for someone.

Regards,
Michael Wulf, VP-elect
BDPA Midwest Region

Message from South Region Director

Mike Williams

Cross-posted from IT Mike Williams - Technology Based Giving

After “being involved” for so many years in various community activities while also volunteering and serving as a board member for local affiliates of several national non-profit organizations, I decided to take a break back in 2006 when I moved to Atlanta. I just didn’t realize then that the break would be so long.

Although I continued to participate in community-based initiatives and joined several professional associations in Atlanta during that time, I never actually got involved. To me, getting involved is going all in! That is contributing my Time, Talent and Treasures (3Ts).

With some encouragement from the past BDPA Atlanta chapter president Teresa Williams, I decided to seek election to become the very first South Regional Director and National Board member for BDPA. I was elected in the summer of 2011 during the BDPA National Conference that is held every year. Today, I believe my decision to get involved and go all in with BDPA was clearly one of the best decisions I made all year.

For me the decision was not difficult. BDPA’s mission and values easily aligned with my own. BDPA is a technology focused organization with a commitment to developing its IT professional members and young minorities while promoting and caring about community based initiatives. There could not be a better fit for me.

BDPA is a national organization which was founded in 1975 by two very visionary men: Earl Pace and the late David Wimberly. They both shared a common interest of wanting to insure that minorities were fairly and adequately represented in the Information Technology field. Today, BDPA has a large membership base through its 40+ local chapters located throughout the United States. The organization prides itself on developing current IT professionals and helping them advance their careers while introducing our youth to technology and other soft skills that not only prepares them for today, but tomorrow as well. BDPA’s leadership and members include some of the best and brightest African American IT professionals from Fortune 500 companies across the country.

Through its Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) and National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Programs, BDPA introduces minority students to Information Technology at an early stage in their lives while providing marketable web development and other computed related skills. Every year, close to 1000 students learn Java, PHP, CSS and other web programming skills while participating in the SITES and HSCC programs. As a bonus for all of their hard work throughout the year, students also get to test their skills against other chapter HSCC programs through regional and national computer competitions. Additionally, through its fiscal sponsor: BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), BDPA provides scholarship grants to the winning HSCC teams that can be used for post-secondary education. More gratifying is that many of the HSCC students go on to become successful IT professionals and even local and national leaders of BDPA.

Led by Executive Director Wayne Hicks, BETF has been able to provide close to $400K in funding to local BDPA chapters over the past three years alone. Such contributions are made possible due to the generosity of our corporate sponsors, partners and individual donors.

So, with all the continued excitement around the standing programs like SITES and HSCC and a reinvigorated energy toward membership growth, member development, and building brand awareness for BDPA and its value proposition, there is no better time than now to become either a member of BDPA or support its mission. If you can, I encourage you to do both.

Join us. Go to BDPA and become a member today. If you can’t join, consider making a donation.

For me, based on BDPA’s commitment to African American IT professionals, youth development and community in general, I am all in!

Mike Williams, Director
BDPA South Region