Education Pioneers Analyst Fellowship

The Education Pioneers Analyst Fellowship places talented data-savvy professionals in mission-critical roles in school districts, charter management organizations, nonprofits, and other leading education organizations.

Complemented by professional development workshops, community service projects, networking and graduate school scholarship opportunities, this 10-month program provides Fellows with the exposure and access to launch a career in the education sector.

Current fellowship opportunities are available in the following locations: Austin TX , Bridgeport CT , Chicago IL, Dallas TX, Washington DC, Denver CO , Detroit, MI , Boston, MA, Houston, TX , Los Angeles, CA , Memphis, TN , Nashville, TN , New Orleans, LA, New York Metro Area , Sacramento, CA , San Francisco Bay Area , Seattle, WA

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Wordless Wednesday: National BDPA High School Computer Competition Silver Medalists (Washington DC, 2010)

Tech Expresso Cafe: BDPA South Region Director Felicia Jones (Dec 17, 2013)

BDPA South Region director Felicia Jones has worked for 17 years in the IT industry ... most recently with Macy's Inc.  She led a team of volunteers over the past two years (2012-2013) to revolutionize the programs and services delivered by our BDPA Atlanta chapter.  She moves forward in the next two years (2014-2015) as a regional director responsible for the growth and development of 19 local BDPA chapters in the southern area of our country.  Also, Felicia is the president of the Next Level Technology Foundation ... a recently-created organization focused on fundraising to support BDPA Atlanta chapter.

Felicia used this podcast interview to review the successes over the past two years as well her vision for the future of both the BDPA South Region and Next Level Technology Foundation.

We hope you enjoy this podcast!

Discover Technology Internet Radio with Tech Expresso Cafe on BlogTalkRadio

Where Are They Now? BDPA New York Chapter Presidents

BDPA New York chapter was founded in January 1983. The idea took hold at the end of 1982 when Stan White (New Jersey Chapter) contacted several of his co-workers at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Greater New York inquiring if we wanted to get together to talk about an organization named Black Data Processing Associates. A group of people met in the Blue Cross cafeteria and decided to pursue the idea.

The initial charter members for BDPA New York chapter included: Willie Cummings, Barbara Gordon, Debra Johnson, Ernest Molina, Stan Seymore and Stan White. Their decision to create a chapter was a good one as evidenced by the fact that BDPA New York was named 'Chapter of the Year' in 1988, 1999, 2011 and 2012. I was a member of the BDPA New York chapter in 1996-1997 while living and working on Long Island.

Judaea Lane, George Baker, Renee McClure & Tony Codrington

It would be great to hear from our past, current and future BDPA New York chapter presidents. Here is the list as best we can tell:

• Ernest Molina (1982-1983)
• Willie Cummings (1984-1985)
• Anita Wilson (1986)
• George Baker (1987)
• Michael Robinson (1988-1989)
• Roxanne Burrus (1990)
• Tony Codrington (1991-1992)
• Roger Dunn (1993)
• Renee McClure (1994-1997)
• Shirley Monrose (1998-1999)
• Jeffry Kimble (2000-2005)
• Judaea Lane (2006-2010)
• Renetta English (2011-2013)
• Tyrone McKinney (2014-2015)

Two of the past New York chapter presidents served as national officers: Roxanne Burrus (national BDPA treasurer) and Renee McClure (national BDPA president).

The chapter hosted the national BDPA Technology Conference in 1991 ('Getting to the Core of Technology').

The chapter has been one of the most dominant chapters in the national high school computer competition (HSCC). BDPA New York chapter won the national HSCC championship in four different years (1988, 1989, 1992 and 1999).

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) awarded Bemley Scholarships to New York chapter students:  Kevin Castillo (2009), Frantzy Jean-Phillips (2009), Christopher Lezama (1999), Kevin O'Neil (1999), Donald Porter (1999), Cazemba Richards (2009), Alan Rosales (2009) and Barine Tee (1999).

We've mentioned alot of names in this blog post.   The question remains:

Where are they now?

This Week in BDPA (December 15-21, 2013)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Dec 17: BDPA Cleveland - Program Meeting, 'Cyber Security: Threats, Solutions and Opportunities'
• Dec 18: BDPA Cincinnati - Program Meeting, 'What Really is Cloud Computing?'
• Dec 18: BDPA New Jersey - Webinar, 'Build Automated Solutions Without Writing Code!' 
• Dec 19: BDPA St. Louis - Networking, 'Holiday Happy Hour' 
• Dec 19: National BDPA - Webinar, 'Career Triage'
• Dec 19: BDPA Washington DC - Networking, 'Annual Holiday Mixer & Member Appreciation'
• Dec 20: BDPA Washington DC - Fundraiser, 'Annual Student Alumni Pancake Dinner'
  
• Dec 21: BDPA Chicago - Workshops, 'Student Empowerment Retreat'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

Election Results: BDPA Cincinnati (2014-2015)

BDPA Cincinnati chapter has a powerful legacy that has grown since its founding in December 1989. The chapter recently concluded elections that put in place those IT professionals who will take BDPA Cincinnati chapter to the next level in 2014-2015. The following officers were elected in accordance with chapter bylaws:

President - Dalric Webb (GE) 

Vice President, Finance - Steve Gutter (The Kroger Company)

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 greater Cincinnati region. They have some large shoes to fill ... however, the chapter also has some powerful corporate support and it currently stands as the 5th-largest BDPA chapter in the nation.

10 Tips for Filling Volunteer Vacancies in BDPA

Guest Blogger: Dalric Webb (BDPA Cincinnati president-elect)

Recently, I took it upon myself to try and “connect the dots” and close the gap between vacancies in our local chapter board of directors and potential volunteers who expressed an interest in working within the chapter framework toward the goals of the organization. The individuals who expressed interest were all identified at our regular monthly program meetings but they could also come from any online community such as Groupsite, Facebook, LinkedIn Network, Pinterest or Twitter.
The guiding principle is simple -- Ask the question (“Would you consider taking a role in the chapter”) and then follow-up with those who answer, ‘Yes’!

Here are some pointers that can help us identify talented volunteer leaders for BDPA at local, regional or national level.  BDPA leaders seeking to fill volunteer vacancies:

1. Should have a personal and demonstrated desire to serve the organization.
2. Must have a vision for the future – and be able to articulate it. This vision needs to align with the BDPA purpose.
3. Should be able to point potential volunteers to a stable location (preferably online) that details the expectations of each role and which roles are vacant.
4. Must be familiar with each vacancy.
5. Must be able to listen to the expressed interest of the potential volunteer in order to suggest one or two open vacancies for their consideration (demonstrating that they have listened and heard the potential volunteer).
6. Must follow-up – this is CRITICAL.
7. Should expect several rounds of interaction; email exchanges, phone calls or face-to-face meetings to occur before the potential volunteer actually commits to filling a vacancy.
8. Should stay engaged with the potential volunteer – build a relationship and rapport.
9. Should follow-up after confirmation of acceptance with a public announcement and publication of the volunteer being appointed or accepting the new leadership role.
10. Should integrate the new volunteer into all planning and communication sessions (depending on the persons level of interest, this can start prior to actually appointment/acceptance).

This effort has to be personal! People don’t join BDPA for the benefits … they join for the relationship. It starts with the person making ‘the ask’. That leader needs to convey what they feel, believe, and want to build in BDPA with the potential volunteer.

Dalric Webb, president (2014-2015)
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter

Tech Expresso Cafe: National BDPA President-Elect Dr. Craig Brown (Dec 12, 2013)

National BDPA president-elect Dr. Craig Brown shares his vision for BDPA as he takes over the presidency for 2014-2015. The main thrust of his vision is to transform the organization to make it more relevant for our members, sponsors and community. Many refer to this strategic direction as 'BDPA 2.0'. Craig shares some of the specific ideas and concepts that will take place over the coming weeks and month with the Tech Expresso Cafe podcast audience.

We hope you enjoy this podcast!

Discover Technology Internet Radio with Tech Expresso Cafe on BlogTalkRadio

HP Corporate Foundation

HP Corporate Foundation provides grants to U.S. universities, low-income and ethnically diverse K-12 school districts, national non-profit organizations that align with HP's goals to increase achievement in math and science, and under-served communities working to address their most pressing issues through reinvention and collaboration. HP only accepts grant proposals by invitation.

HP supports kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) education programs that enhance math, science, reading, and computer skills; professional development activities that emphasize teachers using technology as a tool in the classroom; or programs that provide educational enrichment and assistance to students before, during or after school (for example - homework centers, mentoring, or science programs). HP also supports programs and partnerships that are national or regional in scope.

Email mailto:philanthropy_ed@hp.com for more information.

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.

STEM Attrition: College Students' Paths Into and Out of STEM Fields

Recent report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics tells us that students majoring in STEM fields are roughly as likely as their non-STEM peers to drop out of their majors. This is important information for BDPA stakeholders to consider as we continue to implement our nationwide Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

Read More!

Blacks In Technology Podcast #47: 'How To Raise a Coder'

Blacks In Technology (BIT) is an organization whose focus is to increase visibility, increase participation and change the perceptions of African Americans in the technology field. They host regular podcasts to showcase technologists and engineers.

The 47th podcast in the series is geared towards parents of young people who are engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. The title of BIT Tech Talk #47 is "How To Raise a Coder".



BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is proud to share this podcast with those in our cyber-sphere of influence!

Dell Scholarship Program -- Deadline: January 15, 2014

While many students dream of obtaining a college degree, life sometimes gets in the way, particularly for those dealing with personal responsibilities at home or in their communities. The Dell Scholars college scholarship program, an initiative of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, recognizes students who have overcome significant obstacles to pursue their educations.

Visit Planning and Preparing for College (Scholarships, Internships, Etc) for additional information on scholarships and internships.

BDPA Twin Cities SITES Program (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program has been up and running for over a quarter century within BDPA. Two of the frequent initiatives under the SITES umbrella are the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and the BDPA IT Showcase. BDPA Twin Cities chapter has a powerful legacy in both of these student initiatives since its founding in January 1989.

BDPA Twin Cities chapter student training program is free and available to all students with a passion for technology. It is held on Saturdays and includes three levels of education. BDPA thrives from a great group of dedicated volunteers and parents. This year, the “circle of learning” continues as HSCC alumni return to teach and coach new students. Classes are exciting as students learn programming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C#, MySQL), web development, project management, and team building skills. They also gain insight from IT professionals that come in every week to share their career experience. By the end of our program, students become young IT leaders and take pride in being “Nerdy”.

L-R: Kelly Martin, Samuel Odumakin, Sifora Tek-Lab, Jesus Vega, Justin Wulf, Opeyemi OdumakinJorian Wulf, Qadre Ayinde, Kiani Burkett, Roman Gradford, Joshua Cunningham, Hillary Thomas Jr., Diliet “Shortcut” Tekie, Salvador Rojas, Jonathan Rojas, Xzavier Wells, Isaiah Brown, Alondra Rojas, Phoenix Lewis, Ariana Pope, Aron Tek-Lab, and Daze Davison

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) urges you to reach deep to support these young people. Please make a secure online donation and designate it in support of the BDPA Twin Cities programs, scholarships and services.

BDPA Corporate Supporter: ThoughtWorks

Please welcome ThoughtWorks on board as one of the 102 corporations to have invested in BDPA programs, scholarships or services in the past 365 days!  The company's principal consultant worked with BDPA Dallas chapter president Stacy Stewart to create a partnership that will result in future monthly program meetings (including vittles) to be hosted by ThoughtWorks.

Tech Expresso Cafe Podcast: BDPA Atlanta Chapter President Derrick Brown (Dec 5, 2013)

Derrick Brown, BDPA Atlanta chapter president, was the guest on the Tech Expresso Cafe podcast produced by BDPA members David Blackman and Jacqueline Sanders. The discussion focused on the vision that Derrick has for BDPA Atlanta chapter as it enters into the new year. BDPA Atlanta chapter is the 4th largest chapter in the nation and it has some remarkable programs, scholarships and services. Enjoy the podcast:

More Technology Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Tech Expresso Cafe on BlogTalkRadio

We invite all BDPA stakeholders to enjoy the podcast!

BDPA St. Louis SITES Program (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program has been up and running for over a quarter century within BDPA. Two of the frequent initiatives under the SITES umbrella are the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and the BDPA IT Showcase. BDPA St. Louis chapter has a powerful legacy in both of these student initiatives since its founding in January 1989.

BDPA St. Louis Chapter is dedicated to developing the next generation of IT professionals by overseeing various computer training sites across the St. Louis area over the course of the year. Shining students from those training sites are selected to attend a 13-week intense training program offered at Monsanto. The program teaches high school students how to effectively present to a group; gather requirements; design a usable interface; code web applications; and test functional components. The students are challenged to build web applications using HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript and MySQL. The intense training sessions were taught this year by John Cooper and Tiffany Jones.

Toni Love (HSCC Coordinator), John Cooper (HSCC Trainer), James Fields, Tiffany Jones (HSCC Instructor),
Jacqueline Nobbe, Christina Miller, DaShawn Staples, Della Anjeh, Cameron Smith Albert Ware (Volunteer),
Oseyi Ikuenobe (Volunteer) and Tom Bast (Volunteer)

Not pictured: Vincent Anjeh, Desmond Jason, Akshaya Nandakumar, Lauren Schmiedeler and Abby Vandeven

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) urges you to reach deep to support these young people. Please make a secure online donation to the BDPA St. Louis Chapter HSCC Scholarship Fund.

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Charlotte ($9,063)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce approval of $9,063 grant disbursement to BDPA Greater Charlotte chapter. This grant disbursement flows smoothly with our vision to achieve, through investment in education and technology, an informed Black community prepared to lead and leverage the knowledge revolution for the benefit of the community-at-large.

BDPA Charlotte chapter president Markus Beamer requested the funding to pay for its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program in 2013.  This project lasted for eight months and allowed IT professionals to teach high school students how to build 3-tier web applications.  The SITES program introduces these young people to real-world problems and assists them in building solutions for those problems.  The highest performers from this program were awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC to participate in the Youth Technology Camp and compete in the 2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship!

Congratulations to BDPA Charlotte chapter for its strong efforts to provide meaningful STEM-related programs to its young people. BDPA is making a difference in its efforts to promote the 'future faces of technology'.

This Week in BDPA (December 1-7, 2013)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Dec 2: BDPA New York - Fundraiser, 'Holiday Celebration & Fundraiser'
• Dec 5: BDPA Chicago - Networking, 'JPMorgan Chase Networking Event'
• Dec 7: BDPA Atlanta - Webinar, '2013: Our Chapter's Year in Review'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, November 2013)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. As such it is good to note that BDPA membership has grown for the 5th straight month under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Curtis Jenkins. In fact, the total membership in BDPA has grown over 43% from this same time last year! In fact, BDPA membership in November 2013 is higher than any month since February 2010!

We also want to congratulate the BDPA St. Louis chapter for advancing four places to become the 11th largest chapter in the nation over the past month.  Chapter president Dwana Franklin-Davis and her leadership team managed to increase membership in their chapter by over 14% in the month of November.  Much of this increase was due to corporate memberships purchased by Monsanto.

We believe in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members. Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Chicago - president, Pamela Sexton
2. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
3. Philadelphia - president, Eileen Gadsden
4. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown
5. Cincinnati - president, Clarence Larcarte 
6. Los Angeles - president, John Malonson (up 1 spot)
7. Dallas - president, Stacy Stewart (down 1 spot)
8. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney
9. New York - president, Renetta English
10. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore

We continue to have four chapters in the 'BDPA Century Club'! The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington DC each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

Historical perspective:

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Nov 2012)
Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Nov 2009)

What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?