BDPA New York Honored as 'Chapter of the Year'

BDPA New York was awarded the 2011 Chapter of the Year Award at the National BDPA Conference Awards Gala, at the Hilton Chicago, on Saturday, August 6, 2011. The award was presented by BDPA co-founder Earl Pace. Accepting on behalf of the chapter was current BDPA New York chapter president Renetta English, who was both "ignited and inspired" by the win, referring to the 2011 Conference theme: Ignite, Inspire & Empower.

This award goes to the chapter with the best overall Chapter achievements for the previous year in areas such as membership, community service, professional development, and chapter management.

BDPA New York chapter also earned the 2011 Outstanding Chapter Management Award, awarded at the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday, August 3.

BDPA New York last received the Chapter of the Year honors in 1999. The win by BDPA New York chapter breaks a 4-year streak of 'Chapter of the Year' award victories by BDPA Philadelphia chapter.

BDPA iRadio Show - August 9, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders. Here is the archived audio-clip of the show originally broadcast on August 9, 2011.

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Listen to internet radio with BDPA on Blog Talk Radio

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1. Milt Haynes, Chief Information Officer, National BDPA - Milt has been with BDPA for over 20 years. In the past, he was elected to leadership roles as BDPA Chicago Chapter President and National BDPA President. Milt currently serves as the CIO for National BDPA. As CIO, Milt is responsible for the technology infrastructure and for linking technology to internal strategy. Milt has received over 25 awards and honors at the local chapter and National level including the most prestigious National BDPA Outstanding Chapter President Award, Outstanding Contributor Award, Member of the Year Award, President’s Award, Service Award and the Spirit Award.
2. Deborah Chambers, Consultant, UBS - Deborah has over thirty years of experience as a human capital developer. She spent 23 years serving as a corporate trainer and team leader both internationally and domestically. For the last seven years she has been a successful business owner. Her goal is to help leaders improve their collaborative style when leading others in order to achieve the level of influential leadership that is so needed in today's challenging workplace. She is a published author with book called, Choose To Lead. She is a powerful advocate for the Executive Protégé Program within ITSMF / BDPA. She gave a workshop presentation last week at the 2011 National BDPA Technology Conference on topic of '21st Century Leadership Skills for Technologists.'
3. Zack Garbow, HSCC Instructor, BDPA Southern Minnesota - BDPA Southern Minnesota is the 5-time defending national HSCC champion. In fact, they have won the national HSCC championship in 6 of the past 7 years. One common denominator for those victories is HSCC instructor Zack Garbow. Zack is on a mission to take the lessons learned from his time with BDPA Southern Minnesota’s HSCC program and share them on a national basis. In fact, Zack would like to see the HSCC program evolve to the next level in 2012 and beyond.
4. Hayward West, Chapter President, BDPA Philadelphia - Hayward is completing 2nd year as BDPA Philadelphia chapter president. His chapter hosted the national conference in 2010. His chapter earned 'Chapter of the Year' honors from 2007-2010 ... reflecting sustained excellence in terms of community service, professional development, membership growth and financial management. He should have some outstanding ‘best practices’ to share from his local chapter. [YouTube]

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.

We invite you to listen to archive recording of our shows:

• June 14 - Julius Clark, Clifford Clarke, Wayne Hicks and John Malonson
• June 28 - Renetta English
• July 12 - Marybeth Gasman, Pablo More, Earl Pace and Wesley Williams
• July 26 - Monique Berry, Goldie Bonney, Michael Robinson and Cedric Sanders
  

Take Five: Monique Berry (BDPA Philadelphia)

National BDPA president-elect Monique Berry has been a leader for many years. She is now only a few months away from becoming the national president of the most dynamic association of African American Information Technology professionals in the universe.

We asked Monique to share some insights with us as part of our ongoing 'Take Five' interview series.

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1. How did you get involved in working with BDPA? - I wanted to network with people in the industry who may have had similar career experiences.
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - Helping others reach there full potential. I enjoy working with the teens and helping them figure out who they are and what they want to do with their careers. I enjoy mentoring the college students and providing them with access to experienced professionals who can give them advise, guidance and real life examples of working in corporate America or as entrepreneurs. I am overjoyed each time a BDPA student receives a scholarship, is accepted to the college of their choice or is offered an internship from a BDPA sponsor.
3. Tell us about a defining moment in your life? I can't tell you about one defining moment without including two others. In no particular order of importance, adopting my oldest son at the age of 14, the births of my two other sons and each of their college graduations.
4. Who is your hero and why? - I'm not sure that I have a hero. I admire people who survive or overcome adversity.
5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? Make an investment in the future of technology, donate to BETF online now to help fund scholarships for talented and deserving students.

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Monique has shown herself to have the 'Midas touch' when it comes to successfully growing BDPA programs on both a local and national level. Please join this blog in wishing her nothing but success over the course of the next two years as she takes over as our incoming national president!

The BDPA Insider - August 7, 2011

 

The BDPA Insider - August 7, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

BDPA Columbus HSCC Team

1. BDPA Columbus earns 3rd Place in national competition!!!
2. Bemley Scholar Courtney Elzy Heads to Illinois State University
3. Facebook Marketing
4. Fundraising Tip: How to Raise Money on Facebook
5. Fundraising Tip: How To Raise More Money Online
6. Fundraising Tip: Map Donations to Impact
7. Reflections on BDPA Dignitaries Reception
8. Take Five: Monique Berry (BDPA Philadelphia) 

Reflections on BDPA Dignitaries Reception

I spent a few hours yesterday at the BDPA Dignitaries Reception sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It was a remarkable gathering of IT talent. BDPA founder Earl Pace began the evening with a poignant toast to the work being done by BDPA volunteers and Corporate America in the efforts to advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry.

Next we met the leaders from the 2011 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology award-winning corporations. One of these 11 companies will win the 2011 BDPA Epsilon Award being announced later tonight.

National BDPA had a new twist to the Dignitaries Reception this year. A comprehensive panel discussion with five outstanding chief information officers was added to the agenda. The focus of their discussion was on business intelligence, social media and cloud computing. The panel members were: Barbara Hoffman (US Navy), David Weick (McDonald's), William Flowers (Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport), Paul Eddy (Walgreens) and Garth Marciel (Johnson & Johnson). The panel was both entertaining and informative!

National BDPA president-elect Monique Berry took time to honor BDPA's Silver Level corporate sponsors: CIO Forum, Compuware, Freddie Mac, JPMorgan Chase, Merck & Company, State Farm Insurance and WellPoint.

The highlight of the evening came at the end when the Conference Honorary Chairpersons shared their personal story and encouragement with the audience. We heard from LaVerne Council (Johnson & Johnson, Brian Hedberg (HCSC), Trudy McKnight (HP), David Weick (McDonald's) and Mark Di Francisco (Premier Event Management).

The audience was full of BDPA leaders and Information Technology leaders. All of us were inspired to keep doing what we do in our local chapters by the corporate leaders who spoke at the Dignitaries Reception.

Bemley Scholar Courtney Elzy Heads to Illinois State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has given out hundreds of college scholarships over the year. It never gets old! There are BETF scholarship winners attending major colleges and universities all over the nation.

Today we learn that Courtney Elzy -- a member of the 2008 BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship bronze-medalists trained by BDPA Chicago chapter -- plans to use her Jesse Bemley Scholarship to study graphics design at Illinois State University.


Courtney shared insights on her BDPA experience with us:

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The first day joining BDPA might have been the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t know much about what the program was about nor what was expected of me. The only thing I was sure of was my pattern skills were good enough to get me in.

I remember walking into a classroom of new faces, holding my head down scared of what people might say, being new and all. Accompanied by my aunt, who was way more excited than I was, I honestly wanted to go home. I was a freshmen and I was surrounded by older kids who knew what they were doing and were confident.

I remember months later becoming as confident as my teammates, and changing from the shy girl to the girl who didn’t want to be quiet. I’ll admit it was hard for me to stay focused and push myself to be better. But when the actual BDPA National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) came that year I was ecstatic and ready to compete. That year Chicago came in 3rd place, and I couldn’t have been more happy and pleased with myself and my team.

Since 2008 I stayed on for one more year, then decided that I needed to focus more on school. But thankfully I have still managed to maintain very close relationships with my coaches and members of my team.

This fall I will be attending Illinois State University as a Graphic Design major!

I would like to show my appreciation and thank BETF and BDPA for furthering my knowledge of information technology and opening my eyes to the many great and amazing people I have met over the years. Also, I want to share my appreciation for Gibran McDuffie, Pamela Norfleet, Bryan Moore, Yvette Graham, and the host of other BDPA Chicago chapter members and volunteers that have helped me throughout my HSCC experience.

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Courtney is an inspiration to all of us that love the good works of BDPA. We want to continue giving out Bemley Scholarships for many years to come to other young people like Courtney. We can't continue without your help!

2011 BDPA Technology Conference: Day #1

National BDPA president Yvette Graham banged the gavel down at the end of last night's Opening Ceremonies to declare that the 33rd annual BDPA Technology Conference was officially open. The first day of this national conference was an unqualified success.

There are a growing number of people tweeting about it (search #BDPA). There are a growing number of people checking in on Foursquare ... with BDPA Twin Cities member Justin Wulf currently in power as the Foursquare 'Mayor' of the BDPA Conference!   Facebook mentions of BDPA seem to grow each hour of the day.  I suspect that more and more photos will start to show up on Flickr and more and more videos will appear on YouTube.

There are some remarkable high school and college students at the conference to participate in the Youth Technology Camp, High School Computer Competition and IT Showcase. These are the young people that America is counting on to 'win the future'. We need more recognition, support (financial and volunteers), and love to be shared with these young people. We need Corporate America to reach out to these young IT superstars in the same way that the NBA, NFL and MLB reach out to their young IT superstars. I encourage anyone reading this blog post to use the POST REPLY feature down below to share a comment on a BDPA student that you've met this week at the conference!

The opening ceremony speaker was McDonald's president and chief operating officer Don Thompson. The brother's message was outstanding. Yeah ... the second-in-command for one of the largest companies in the world is a Blackman! He spoke to the students and adult IT professionals in the room with a powerful message on taking control of our own careers by doing the right things with quickness. I wonder if anyone videotaped his speech? If so, I would love to see it.


There were over a dozen workshops on the first day of the conference. I attended the IT Showcase presentation hosted by Dr. Jesse Bemley. Good turnout and outstanding dialogue with each and every member of the workshop audience. I also attended Beyond Blogging workshop hosted by Michael Jenkins-Brown (Raytheon). His focus was on WordPress platform. He convinced me that I need to begin migrating my websites to the WordPress platform. I plan to do so before the end of the month.


There were three chapter awards announced on the first day of the conference. Congratulations to the following chapters:

1. Chicago - Most Outstanding Community Service Award
2. New York - Most Outstanding Chapter Management Award
3. Philadelphia - Most Outstanding Membership Award

This is a 4-day conference. I wonder what will be in store for me for the next 3 days?

Popular Technology: Interview with BDPA Founder Earl Pace (VIDEO)

Pilot episode of Popular Technology TV (PTTV) featuring National BDPA Co-Founder and 2011 CompTIA IT Hall of Fame inductee Earl A. Pace, Jr.

This is the final production version produced for National BDPA by Morton Media. PTTV will air on local cable outlets via news or college television stations in various media markets later this year.





To advertise, schedule interviews or documentaries featuring your products, services, or talent requirements, visit: bdpatoday.org for additional information.

BDPA Northeast Regional Director Candidate: Coram Rimes (New Jersey)

BDPA elections are being held this week at the annual Delegates Meeting in Chicago. The organization will be electing regional officers for the first time in its 35-year history. The only nominee for the BDPA Northeast Regional Director vacancy is BDPA New Jersey past president Coram Rimes.

Coram has over 34 years of corporate work experience with various roles in marketing & sales, technology, auditing, physical security and information technology for the past 20 years. During his career, he served with increased responsibility from supervisory level, middle management and corporate officer. For the past decade he has been a director. His past employers have been major corporations including, AT&T, Verizon, Bank of New York, and Federal Reserve Bank of New York, TIAA-CREF and Prudential.

Coram has a remarkable history with BDPA. His BDPA involvement includes:

• Lifetime member of BDPA since 1995
• National Board Of Directors Member 2003, 2008-2010
• New Jersey Chapter President 2003-2004, 2008-2010
• New Jersey Chapter HSCC Coordinator 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011
• Epsilon Award Recipient for Career Achievement in 2007

Coram is one of a handful of BDPAers in history to be elected to public office. He was elected to serve on the Orange (NJ) City Council in 2000-2008.

Coram is also a business owner. He has operated a tax preparation business since 1985.

When asked to share his thoughts on BDPA and his desire to become the first Northeast Regional Director, Coram wrote:

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My vision for BDPA is to restore its’ greatness and ensure that the organization is financial sound with proper oversight for the future. Increase membership and ensure that BDPA focus on its members. Encourage the organization and members to be drivers of technology by their increased educational backgrounds and heighten work roles. Let's breakdown the barriers to success so that BDPA can achieve the highest goals while setting the standard for others to follow.

I ask for your vote to serve in a leadership capacity as Northeast Regional Director on the National Board to allow me an opportunity to make positive impact on BDPA.

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I invite our blog readers to share their thoughts on Coram Rimes and his BDPA legacy. What say u?

Fundraising Tip: Map Donations to Impact

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) spends so much time interacting with the students, volunteers and IT professionals that participate in our programs ... sometimes we take it for granted. One thing that we're learning is that we cannot take for granted the impact that our BDPA programs and services are having on the lives of real people around the country. In fact, we need to do a much better job of documenting the impact we are making if we want to do better in meeting our fundraising goals.

I think that the following fundraising tip may be a helpful reminder to all of us that work with nonprofits that are doing good works.

How to Build Loyal, Happy Donors

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People don't give to you because you have needs; they give to you because you meet needs. Donors and prospects don't want to hear about the woes of the economy or your organizational struggles -- no one wants to join a sinking ship. Instead, they want to know exactly where their donations will go, or have gone, and what impact your work is having on their community and the issues they care about.

Use the power of personal stories to demonstrate how critical and important their support is to your work. Emphasize impact and stories in all of your communications with donors, both in person and in your written materials. Make sure that you send timely thank you notes, reports on progress and success, and ongoing communications to build loyalty and trust with your donors. Start by sending a handwritten note to your best donor today!

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As I'm typing this blog post ... I just made a phone call to the largest individual donor that we have.  He is an IT professional who works for Microsoft.   I thanked him for his donation ... which is coming to us by way of payroll deductions.  I also let him know the results that have already been seen with the young people to whom he directed his giving.   Five of the students he supports with his donation are traveling to Chicago this week to compete in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition Championship.  He appreciated the update.   I wonder if a phone call counts ... or did it have to be a handwritten note?

This tip is inspired by Darian Heyman's new book, 'Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals'.

Does this tip seem like one that you might use for your local chapter or nonprofit? If not, do you have a fundraising tip that you would like to share with us?

Take Five: Craig Brown (BDPA Dallas)

Dr. Craig Brown is a candidate for National BDPA Vice President. The elections will be held later this week. Dr. Brown has a 24 year career serving as an expert systems and database architect within leading technologies like Oracle, Oracle-PeopleSoft, SAP, IBM and Microsoft. His experiences are more particular to the Enterprise Resource Planning, Decision Support and Relational Database Management Systems technologies. He earned over 20 certifications within these technological areas and currently provides implementation and integration expertise along with a variety of other technological disciplines. He holds a BS in Computer Science as well as a Master's in Business and a Doctorate in Management Information Systems.

Dr. Brown agreed to participate in our ongoing 'Take Five' interview series.

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1. How did you get involved with BDPA? - I originally joined the BDPA in 1996. A lady named Roxanne Clinton told me about the organization and I was amazed that a program like this existed at the time. The way I found myself starting a career within IT was not through a direct plan, so to be able to show others what I do and how I got there was something of great interest to me.
2. What is your favorite part of working with BDPA? - My favorite activities are working with young people. College students, High School Students and New entries into the work force. These young people are usually very eager to learn and they soak up everything I tell them like sponge. My next favorite part is giving presentations to up and coming entrepreneur’s, existing entrepreneur’s and people that are just curious about entrepreneurship. I have presented at the national conference in previous years in this area and these are truly the high points of my BDPA career.
3. What future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA? - I would like to see the BDPA be more active in the more advanced areas of technology. There are quite a few opportunities within the IT arena particularly in the architecture and administration roles and high level design and development work spaces. A few of the HBCUs are also a little behind at offering up to date (CIS, MIS, BIS) curriculum’s that will help add a few more minorities into these fields of study. I would like to bring my experiences to the organization and help make anyone that will listen way that can gain experiences with standards like Oracle EBS, SAP, IBM DB2, Oracle PeopleSoft and Microsoft SQL. I would like to then further this exposure into specialized areas like S>O>A>P, IT Auditing, Project Management (PMP) for IT functions. These areas can certainly use a boost of minority subject matter experts.
4. Why should someone pay $100 membership dues to join BDPA? - I would tell all existing and new members that for the $100 membership dues the BDPA can provide:
   • A few different ways to educate and train, for those that are interested in learning within the IT arena.
   • Insights on career paths for entering into or shifting within the IT work space.
   • Help fill in the gaps caused by lack of experience and/or lack of training with affiliations with organizations like the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF)
   • General Information about what is happening within the IT arena to continue to attract more members interested in this news.
5. Any advice for people considering donation to BETF? - I would advise anyone that donating to the BETF benefits not only students but BDPA chapters. The programs that I am aware of exist to assist its participants with educational and planning that can help start or maintain a career within the IT area. If anything you can become more computer literate. Since finance is the biggest obstacle between minority communities and educational programs and opportunities, a donation to the BETF is certainly one way around this obstacle.

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We encourage you to learn more about all of the 2011 national and regional BDPA candidates. Mostly, we encourage you to share some BDPA-Love for Dr. Brown. It takes gumption to put yourself on the line for service as a volunteer leader at a national level. I appreciate Dr. Brown for his willingness to do so ... and for taking the time to share his thoughts with us.

The BDPA Insider - July 31, 2011

 

The BDPA Insider - July 31, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

1. 2011 BDPA Technology Conference Video
2. BDPA Chicago Chapter's Fantastic Voyage - 8/5/2011
3. BDPA Conference Workshop: 'Everybody Matters' (LaShawn Sithole)
4. BDPA Conference Workshop: CyberLife Tutors, 7/26/2011 (April Williams)
5. Blacks Gone Geek Live! 2011 National BDPA Conference
6. Fundraising Tip: Make Specific and Direct Asks for Money
7. Fundraising Tip: Never Apply for a Grant Without Contacting the Foundation First
8. Is Your Digital Tattoo Attracting or Repulsing Customers?
9. Job Seeker Mindset Training
10. The future of IT will be reduced to three kinds of jobs

Grant Declination: The Kroger Co. (BDPA Cincinnati)

In the interest of total transparency BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) shares information on our grant-writing efforts here on this blog. Sometimes the information is good and uplifting.

Sometimes the information is disappointing. BETF learned that our grant proposal to The Kroger Co. has been turned down. We wanted funding to support the 16th annual BDPA Cincinnati chapter Education and Awards Banquet.

The declination message from Kroger read as follows:

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Dear Wayne Hicks,

We are writing in response to your recent request for assistance with your event. While we are greatly impressed by the scope of your organization’s work, we are unable to offer BDPA Education and Technology Foundation support at this time.

If your organization does not participate in our Kroger Neighborhood Rewards Fundraising Program, please visit our website www.kroger.com/mykroger/014.com for an application. This is a quick, easy way for schools (K-12), churches or any 501(c)(3) charitable organization to fundraise.

Best regards,
Kroger Customer Communications Team

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BETF will continue to seek funding to support BDPA Cincinnati chapter and the other 44 local BDPA chapters around the nation. If you have any ideas or funding sources that you think we should consider ... please let us know!

2011 National BDPA Technology Conference

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Is Your Digital Tattoo Attracting or Repulsing Customers?

Tonya R. Taylor

It’s a fact, love them or hate them tattoos are popular and (almost) permanent. The tattoo design choice, or body art, says something about you; well actually a lot about you. It may convey your mood at a particular moment in time, it may have a deep personal meaning, you may like the artwork or some may think they're just stylish.

Even though tattoos have become incredibly mainstream the kind I am talking about has nothing to do with body art. This type of tattoo is about your business or career; yes even if you have a small business, be a college student or work in corporate America. Let me ask you a simple question, what does your digital tattoo say about your business?

Before you can answer that, I need to explain exactly what a Digital Tattoo is.

Just like a regular tattoo, your digital reputation is an expression of yourself and your business. Over time it is shaped by you and added to by others which include friends, family and your business visibility online and in the media.

Your digital tattoo is what a potential customer, recruiter, corporate executive, or anybody else finds online about your business. It’s the information people see when they search the internet for your name or your business name.

What images will they find of you? – an old photo from college or high school, your company logo, a cartoon character where your picture should be or your favorite sports team instead of a current photo?

What information will they find on your website or blog? – a new video, static information that has never been changed or updated since December or your latest blog post?

What images will they find on social media? - are you presenting at a conference, you with your family, you participating at a networking event or hanging out with friends?  (Are you even using social media to help shape your digital tattoo?)

What information will they find in the media? – your published article(s), a press release, a story written about you or your business, or nothing at all?

Why is your digital tattoo important? - Ask any successful salesperson or flourishing marketer, they will tell you this...“People buy from people they know, they like and they trust”.

Your digital tattoo will help create the magic to make this happen.

Copyright © 2011 Rising Star Ideas, LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tonya R. Taylor, Your Savvy Online Business Builder, is dedicated to helping you learn how to use the internet to build a bigger more profitable business so you can spend more and make less. Her clients learn savvy ways to use their website to take their online presence to the next level fast. To get your FREE Savvy Online Business Building Starter Kit and receive weekly online marketing tips, tools and resources visit www.SavvyBizBuilder.com.

BDPA Conference Workshop: 'Everybody Matters' (LaShawn Sithole)

Wayne Hicks & LaShawn Sithole

The 2011 BDPA Technology Conference begins next week. One of the people that I'm looking forward to seeing is LaShawn Sithole (owner, One In a Billion Consulting). I met LaShawn a few years ago at a BDPA conference (see photo) and have followed the growth of her business interests since. In fact, my hope is that the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation will work closely the Next Young Phenom Foundation in the coming weeks and months.

It is for these reasons that I'm looking forward to sitting in on LaShawn's workshop next week in Chicago.





What workshops are you looking forward to seeing next week in Chicago?

Volunteer Grant Award: McKesson Foundation ($500)

Christopher Parker

McKesson Foundation sent a $500 check to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to honor the volunteer hours donated to BDPA Richmond chapter by Christopher Parker. This volunteer grant is based on service and leadership provided by Christopher as the chapter president.

The funds will help to support the young people that are heading out next week to participate in the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Championship in Chicago. Good luck BDPA Richmond!

Many corporations have volunteer grant programs. We encourage all BDPA supporters to place a call to their human resources department to see what it takes to qualify for a volunteer grant.

BDPA iRadio Show - July 26, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders.  We had a great show on July 26, 2011.

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on Blog Talk Radio

1. Monique Berry, President-Elect, National BDPA - Monique shared her vision for the future of BDPA with specific examples of programs that she wants to implement. I enjoyed her emphasis on the need for BDPA leaders to increase our level of engagement and communication within the organization. Monique also gave shout-outs to the conference team as she described what the audience can expect from the conference next week.
2. Michael Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft - Michael encouraged BDPA members to recognize the leadership development opportunities that BDPA provides as we are moving up the corporate ladder at our workplace. He also shared the concept of diversity dexterity with the audience and noted it was important in his most recent 4-year stint working for Microsoft on the African continent and beyond.
3. Cedric Sanders, HSCC Alumni (Class of 1991), BDPA Kansas City; Administrative Manager, United States Navy - Cedric shared the impact that BDPA had on his life as a high school junior and senior in 1990 and 1991 when he represented BDPA Kansas City chapter in the national HSCC Championship. The confidence and the skills that he was taught during the local training and national competitions served him well as he moved through his career with the US Navy. We are hopeful to reconnect Cedric with his other HSCC teammates from 20 years ago.
4. Goldie Bonney, Chapter President, BDPA New Jersey - Goldie shared her passion for BDPA with an emphasis on the powerful programs that her chapter puts on for the community ... specifically the Families In Technology Day ... held for the past 8 years by BDPA New Jersey chapter. It turns out that BDPA has given away over 800 laptop computers to families in New Jersey as part of the annual FIT Day process. Goldie is looking forward to visiting Chicago for the first time in her life next week!

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.

We invite you to listen to archive recording of our shows:

• June 14 - Julius Clark, Clifford Clarke, Wayne Hicks and John Malonson
• June 28 - Renetta English
• July 12 - Marybeth Gasman, Pablo More, Earl Pace and Wesley Williams
• July 26 - Monique Berry, Goldie Bonney, Michael Robinson and Cedric Sanders
  

BDPA iRadio Show Interview: Michael Robinson (Microsoft)

BDPA iRadio Show interviewed Michael Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft on July 26, 2011.

Michael encouraged BDPA members to recognize the leadership development opportunities that BDPA provides as we are moving up the corporate ladder at our workplace. He also shared the concept of diversity dexterity with the audience and noted it was important in his most recent 4-year stint working for Microsoft on the African continent and beyond.

The interview was conducted by Franne McNeal.

Grant Award: Christ Church Cathedral ($15,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce that the Episcopal Society of Church (aka, Christ Church Cathedral) partially approved our grant proposal with an award of $15,000 to support BDPA programs and services in Cincinnati, OH.

We learned of this grant opportunity from BDPA Cincinnati Corporate Advisory Council chairperson Patrick Nelson. BETF worked closely with BDPA Cincinnati chapter member Ellery Lewis to complete our written grant proposal in March 2011. A few weeks later we learned that our grant proposal made it through the first round of cuts and that we would need to answer questions at a face-to-face interview with church officials.

Here is the PowerPoint deck that we used to guide the flow of the discussion at the face-to-face interview that was held with Patrick Nelson, Ellery Lewis and BETF executive director Wayne Hicks.

Grant Proposal: Christ Church Cathedral (BDPA Cincinnati)

View more presentations from Wayne Hicks

A little over a week later we learned that a partial award of $15,000 had been approved. That funding will support the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program implemented by BDPA Cincinnati chapter. This includes funding Bikram Sapkota (Taft HS), Christian Johnson (Mason HS), Curtis Mimes (Taft HS) and Hadiya Harrigan (Xavier HS) to participate in the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Championship being held next month in Chicago.

Good luck BDPA Cincinnati!