GSK Joins a Growing List of BDPA Corporate Sponsors

GSK purchased a basic corporate sponsorship package as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of BDPA. The purchase will provide GSK with unlimited access to the BDPA Job Board for the next year as well as corporate memberships for up to ten (10) employees.

GSK is a science-led global healthcare company that researches and develops a broad range of innovative products in three primary areas of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare. As one of the few healthcare companies researching both medicines and vaccines for the World Health Organization’s three priority diseases – HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, they are very proud to have developed some of the leading global medicines in these fields.



GSK operations in America cover a diverse range of business functions. As well as corporate headquarters in Philadelphia and North Carolina, they have three separate research centers, two focusing on biologicals, as well as many more focusing on consumer healthcare and manufacturing. We anticipate that IT-related career opportunities will be consistently posted on the BDPA Job Board. BDPA members and supporters are encouraged to upload a current resume so that they are prepared for the opportunities as they arise.

Please contact the BDPA corporate sales team on (301) 584-3135 x108 if you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for your company!

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New VP-Finance – Jessica Waddell

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, announced a new member of its executive team. Jessica Waddell was named the Vice President of Finance. Jessica is a financial analyst at GE Aviation. She handles financial planning, cash forecasting, billing and project management in her current position. She has been working for almost nine years at GE Aviation, one of the largest corporations in Cincinnati. Jessica was vice president of the National Black MBA Association chapter on the campus of Ohio State University, where she earned her degree in Finance.

“I’m excited to join and provide finance support to an organization with such a great mission and am looking forward to getting involved this year,” says Jessica Waddell.

In her new role, Jessica works with a team of volunteers to develop and maintain the BDPA Cincinnati financial processes. Her responsibilities include maintaining complete financial records of all monies received and disbursed by the organization and issuing periodic financial reports.

"We are excited to have Jessica join the BDPA Cincinnati Chapter Board of Directors in the volunteer role of Vice President of Finance”, says BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Dalric Webb. “Jessica brings an energetic and professional outlook to our high energy team. She is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of our youth, our members, and our communities."

BDPA Cincinnati chapter is the second-largest chapter in the nation. The chapter meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Mayo Clinic Supports Diversity IT Hiring via BDPA Career Fair

Mayo Clinic has been coming to the annual BDPA career fair for over a decade. They do so because it works! Mayo Clinic agreed to renew its commitment to the 2015 National BDPA Career Fair being held on August 21-22, 2015 in Washington DC. BDPA seeks to have over 60 companies in attendance at the career fair this year.



You can get a glimpse of the types of jobs being offered on the BDPA Job Board. What are you waiting for? Add your current resume to the BDPA Job Board today!

Mike Williams Selected for National BDPA Vice President

Mike Williams

National BDPA announced the appointment of Mike Williams as its National Vice President and member of its National Board of Directors. Mr. Williams is an experienced senior information technology executive, mentor and leader that is passionate about the development of future leaders and aspiring young professionals. Williams is currently the Senior Vice President and Head of Global ITO services for FIS. Williams is an author and leader with more than 27 years of management and executive experience in Information Technology.

“I am very excited about BDPA’s future and its continuation of building on the 40-year legacy of developing future technology talent. This year, which is our 40th Anniversary, will be an exciting time for BDPA members, students and sponsors. I am looking forward to helping grow our membership while expanding and developing quality programs for our members, as well as preparing our future digital leaders of tomorrow,” said National Vice President Williams.

A proud native of Paterson, New Jersey, Williams discovered his desire to give back in 1997 when he opened an Internet Café and began to provide free access to computers for disadvantaged youth. He taught them basic computer and Internet skills. Because of his commitment to community, mentorship and technology, Williams contributes his time, treasure, and talents to support local and national nonprofit organizations that align with his personal mission and values. Williams is a former board member of the National BDPA, Paterson YMCA, Greater Paterson OIC, Urban League of Bergen County and many others.

“We are very excited and pleased that Mr. Williams has accepted this leadership position at BDPA. He has proven to be a results-oriented leader and BDPA looks forward to his guidance with our ongoing efforts of membership growth, corporate sponsorship solutions and operational excellence,” said Pamela Sexton, National BDPA President.

Founded in 1975 by Earl Pace and the late David Wimberly, BDPA is a global member-focused organization that serves the professional well-being of its stakeholders. BDPA remains committed to excellence and providing a wide spectrum of resources to members, corporate sponsors, businesses, educational institutions and the African American community. The organization is a catalyst for professional growth and technical development for those in the IT industry. With over 40 chapters across the United States, BDPA is the premier organization for African Americans in technology. For more information please contact the National BDPA Office at (301) 584-3135 or Email: info@bdpa.org.

Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President

Dalric Webb

Happy New Year wishes to all our BDPA Cincinnati chapter members, their families and friends. Fresh off the successes of an OUTSTANDING year in 2014 serving the needs of our members and our communities, the team of volunteers that comprise the BDPA Cincinnati Chapter Board of Directors is EXCITED at the potential greatness we plan to accomplish in 2015!

Kicking this year off we first welcome NaShawnda Peterson (GE Aviation) to the BDPA Board as our incoming President-Elect! NaShawnda brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the board and will help steer the organization toward even greater success in the years ahead. Be sure to say hello and welcome her at our next program meeting. Speaking of which, have you registered to attend the next DYNAMIC program meeting on January 21st? The topic is 'Electronic Publishing'!

We kicked off our annual Computer Camp program on Saturday, January 10th at Cincinnati State. Please stop by and say hello to the eager students we will train in our weekly Computer Camp ... these young people will impact the world of tomorrow! Share with them some of your personal and professional experiences as we prepare them with instructions on coding, web development, professional development and improving their confidence levels on the journey BDPA takes them 'from the classroom to the boardroom'!

Steve Gutter

Steve Gutter (The Kroger Co.) stepped down after over a decade of service in a variety of leadership positions including both VP-Strategy & Planning and VP-Finance. Steve contributed his time and expertise as a speaker on Mobile Applications Development at program meetings and chapter camp sessions. Steve was an exceptional example of the professional volunteers that have joined the BDPA team over the years to further the organizational mission and make a positive difference in the lives of our youth, our members and within our communities. Steve will certainly be missed on the board of directors!

The incoming VP-Finance is Jessica Waddell (GE Aviation).  Jessica is a financial planning analyst by trade. She is eager and energized at the opportunity to volunteer in support of the BDPA Cincinnati Chapter. Please join me in welcoming Jessica to the team!

There are still several opportunities to join the BDPA Cincinnati Board of Directors and volunteer your time and energy towards making a positive difference in the lives of others. Won’t you step forward to join the team? Please take a look at the currently vacant positions listed on our chapter landing page. Also, we have several volunteering opportunities within each of the board committees that might be more of a match for your particular interest in giving back. Send me an email and lets chat about it.

2015 is going to be a FANTASTIC year! We have several social events planned including the upcoming 'Meet & Greet at Nada Restaurant' on January 22nd. Please take a look at our GroupSite calendar for more information and to register to attend.

Take a moment to complete the online Membership Satisfaction Survey. We plan to use your feedback to improve on the ways that we engage with you in the future. Please show your support by participating AND providing feedback on what is or is not working for you in the chapter operations. We value your input and participation.

Looking forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!

Sincerely,
Dalric Webb, President
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter

KPMG Renew Its Commitment to Diversity Recruiting via BDPA Job Board

BDPA is pleased to announce that KPMG agreed to renew its access to the BDPA Job Board - www.ITDiversityCareers.com - in its continuing effort to recruit diverse information technology talent from all over the nation! KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. The company operates in 156 countries and has 150,000 people working in member firms around the world. With a worldwide presence, KPMG continues to build on its successes thanks to clear vision, defined values and, above all, its people.

BDPA provides remarkable return-on-investment to our sponsors who purchase access to the BDPA Job Board. We will continue to report on those companies who renew their commitment to BDPA via this remarkable asset. This tool also benefits our members who are unemployed, under-employed or simply seeking to determine their marketability in the IT industry!

Please contact the BDPA corporate sales team on (301) 584-3135 x108 if you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for your company!

Message from the National BDPA President

Greetings! I pray that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed your time with family and friends. 2014 has been an incredible year for BDPA. As I mentioned in my December 1st update, we experienced transition, celebration and collaboration. In addition, through the generosity of our corporate partners and sponsors, we awarded over $120,000 in scholarships to our students! Talk about making a difference in the lives of our student members. But the best is yet to come…

I am very excited about 2015 and hope you share my enthusiasm. 2015 represents the 40th year of existence for our beloved BDPA! The vision of our Founders is alive and well. We have over 30 active chapters, 100 corporate partners and sponsors, and 2,100 members who comprise the largest minority Information Technology organization in the world! This is something that we can all be proud of and celebrate. However, we are not done and have much work to do.

In 2015, we begin year two of our 2014-2018 National Strategy. As a reminder, we are focused on:

• BDPA 2.0, specifically brand rejuvenation;
• Organizational growth and efficiency; and
• Enhancement of our member value proposition.

We have a very strong national and regional leadership team in place to bring this strategy to life across the organization. The team and I look forward to working and visiting with all of you throughout the year and celebrating our accomplishments. Please know that in order to realize our National Strategy, we need your help.

We need your active participation, teamwork, input and support to achieve our strategic and growth goals. As we begin a new year, I encourage each of you to partner with your regional and local leadership on the development and execution of your respective plans. Finally, please remember to renew your membership, visit bdpa.org on a regular basis to stay abreast of organization activities, AND register for our 2015 Technology Conference and Career Fair (early bird registration is extended until January 31, 2015) as soon as possible.

In closing, THANK YOU again for the opportunity to serve our great organization as President and please feel free to contact me at info@bdpa.org if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Sincerely,
Pamela Mathews, president
National BDPA

Grant Award: Sempra Energy Foundation ($2,500)

The Sempra Energy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in San Diego, California, USA. The foundation was founded by Sempra Energy, a Fortune 250 energy services company that serves the largest customer base of any energy utility in the United States. With 13,800 employees worldwide, the Sempra Energy companies develop energy infrastructure, operate utilities, and provide related products and services to more than 29 million consumers worldwide.

We recently learned that our $2,500 grant proposal made to the Southern California Gas Company, subsidiary of Sempra Energy, has been approved. The proposal was submitted jointly by BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Los Angeles chapter president David Malonson.

The approval letter partially read:

---

Dear Mr. Malonson,

On behalf of all of us at SoCalGas, thanks for all you do in the community. We are proud to provide a $2,500 grant to BDPA Education and Technology Foundation in support of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We are pleased to support!

We would appreciate any communications you can send to highlight our partnership in the community. Any additional recognition on newsletters, websites or social media (Facebook and Twitter) would be appreciated. We have thousands of followers who will have the opportunity to learn about your program if you are able to tag us. You can find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SoCalGas) and follow us on Twitter (@socalgas). Please also keep us informed of these communication activities so that we can pass it onto our leadership team.

At SoCalGas, we believe that supporting local organizations like yours helps us create meaningful and important community partnerships. We look forward to working with you!

Best wishes,
Carolyn Williams
Community Relations Manager

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BETF hopes that we can replicate this success with all local BDPA chapters. There are many funding sources out there. You can learn more from our website or by reaching out to the BETF executive director.

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, December 2014)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA membership grew by 23% in 2014.   December 2014 marked the first time in a year that our membership total declined.  However, it is likely that the growth will continue in 2014 under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.  She works with local, regional and national leaders to provide a value proposition to members (and potential members) with robust BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

Beverly Moore

One of the largest membership moves in December came from our BDPA Detroit chapter (president, Beverly Moore).  The chapter grew by over 66% in the past year to become the 8th largest chapter in the nation.  The chapter effectively used its monthly program meetings to introduce itself to the community. 

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, Reggie Rush
2. Cincinnati - president, Dalric Webb
   
3. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
4. Philadelphia - president, Eileen Gadsden (up 1 spot)
5. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown (down 1 spot)
6. Southern Minnesota - president, Will Smith
   
7. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney (up 1 spot)
8. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore (up 2 spots)
9. Dallas - president, Chad White (down 2 spots)
10. Los Angeles - president, David Malonson (down 1 spot)

)

The top five chapters on the list remain in the 'BDPA Century Club'! The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, 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.

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?

Happy New Year, BDPA!

Message from BDPA Milwaukee Chapter President

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter would like to thank you for all your support, dedication and membership during the 2014 calendar year!

The Milwaukee Chapter had major accomplishments in 2014 that include:

• 45 members and growing, 
• Named 'Comeback Chapter of the Year' at the National BDPA Conference, 
• first time Milwaukee students participated at the BDPA High School Computer Competition (place 14th), 
• two college students awarded $5,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, 
• featured on the Milwaukee local papers and news stations, 
• awarded grants,
• partnered with several large corporation such as GE, Rockwell, State of Wisconsin.

We would like to extend our holiday wishes to you and your family. May your holidays be filled with joy, happiness, and harmony. We hope that you have the opportunity to take some time to enjoy the fruits of your hard work this year.

We trust that 2015 will be an even better year for you and get you another step closer to achieving your goals. We look forward to working, networking, and continue and new memberships in the New Year.

May the New Year bring all of you happiness, peace, good health, and prosperity!



Carmen Giles, President
BDPA Milwaukee Chapter
Web: www.bdpa.org/group/WI

2015 FedEx Internship Positions - Apply Now

FedEx is currently accepting applicants for their 2015 Summer Internship positions.

The positions are throughout the country with excellent pay and opportunities for potential interns.  You can apply for various positions; but start the process now!  [Click here to Read More]

Please share this with your college candidates.  They pay is great and one can still share housing with another candidate if they need to seek housing.

The application process normally ends between December and January. 

BDPA Brotha Shares 15 Ideas to Improve Your Networking Results

I have been in BDPA since 1988. Some of y'all refer to me as the BDPA Brotha!   I have shared tips on 'The Art of Networking' in the past. I thought that the time was right to be more specific. Here are 15 things you should *DO* if you want to make your networking work!

1. Do ask for what you want. No one is there to take care of you. Anticipate that contacts may say 'No' and don't be offended if they do.
2. Do be business-like ... always!
3. Do circulate at meetings. Learn to introduce yourself to strangers.
4. Do continue to develop your expertise and visibility to enhance your value to the network.
5. Do deliver when you say you will.
6. Do follow good rules of social etiquette.
7. Do follow-up on leads.
8. Do give sensitive and caring feedback to members of your network.
9. Do maintain confidentiality. Protect your sources.
10. Do not abandon former networks as you climb higher.
11. Do not be discouraged.  If given the brush off by one contact in your network, move on!
12. Do offer to pick up the tab!
13. Do refine your 'want list' and only ask for one thing at a time.
14. Do test out the reliability of any information you receive.
15. Do try to give as much as you get from network contacts. Reciprocity is the name of the game. Do not wait to be asked!

These are some ideas on how you can maximize your positive results from networking. Have any of these ideas worked for you in the past? Do you have other ideas that we may have missed?

I will continue to share these 'BDPA Brotha' tips on a semi-regular basis!

Tec-Link Sponsors BDPA College Student Memberships

We received great news from one of our longtime supporters, Derek Holmes! His business, Tec-Link agreed to sponsor twenty (20) BDPA college student memberships. That means that we are now offering 20 college student memberships on a first-come, first-served basis to college students anywhere in the country.

All the student needs to do is send the following six data points to BDPA corporate sales director Wayne Hicks (wayne.hicks@bdpa.org):

1. Name
2. College
3. Email Address
4. Phone Number
5. Mailing Address
6. Resume

Do you know of any college students that would benefit from BDPA membership? Here are some reasons why a college student would want to join BDPA - http://www.bdpa.org/?page=Students.   The next step is yours! The first 20 college student names that we receive with the six data points shown above will become BDPA members!

Please support Tec-Link if you have the ability to do so.

ThoughtWorks Renews Support of BDPA Dallas Chapter

ThoughtWorks renewed its sponsorship of our local chapter in Dallas, Texas.   The company agreed to provide in-kind facilities donation for the chapter's monthly program meetings.   This is the second year that ThoughtWorks has made the commitment to house these monthly professional development workshops.

ThoughtWorks is a global IT consultancy providing Agile-based systems development and consulting services. They have pioneered many of the most advanced and successful Agile methods of software development and best practices used in the industry today.

In other words, they build amazing software. It’s amazing because it’s the stuff which makes or breaks companies; software which creates competitive advantage. ThoughtWorks see building software as a social activity, best done by teams of brilliant people, not a mechanistic process where individuals are interchangeable cogs in a master plan.  Their hiring model focuses on finding outstanding talent, over the mastery of tools.

BDPA Dallas, the 7th-largest chapter in the nation led by president Chad White, seeks to make a difference for African Americans as they advance in their information technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom.

BDPA Supports First-Ever Launch of National Data Science Bowl

Booz Allen Hamilton, the management and technology consulting firm, and Kaggle, the leading online data science competition community, today announced the launch of the inaugural National Data Science Bowl. A 90-day competition, the National Data Science Bowl will provide the data science community with an opportunity to utilize its skills and training to create impact on a global scale. Specifically, in this inaugural competition, participants will develop complex algorithms to advance the study of ocean health, the result of which will generate an estimated one million dollar ‘in-kind’ donation of analytics research to the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University. Booz Allen Hamilton and Kaggle will also award a total of $175,000 to the top three algorithms’ creators and the leading university team; the largest purse, to date, for a Kaggle competition benefiting social good.

“The National Data Science Bowl was born from the realization that, in order for the data science community to grow and thrive, it must be given opportunities to use its talents to benefit both business and society,” said Booz Allen Hamilton’s Josh Sullivan, a vice president in the firm’s Strategic Innovation Group. “We are extremely honored to partner with leaders such as Kaggle and the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State for this initiative and believe its findings will be a testament to the role data science can – and should – play in solving previously impossible challenges moving forward.”

The competition will task participants with examining nearly 100,000 underwater images to develop an algorithm that will enable researchers to identify and monitor planktonic organisms at a speed and scale never before possible. Extremely susceptible to changes in temperature and chemistry, a large and thriving plankton population is crucial for driving some of the planet’s most life-sustaining processes. These organisms produce much of the world’s oxygen and absorb a large percentage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, while serving as the foundation for all marine and many terrestrial food chains. Rapid assessment of their populations will therefore allow the scientific community to monitor ocean health at an unprecedented scale, an important step forward in understanding and protecting the environment.

“This partnership allows us to leverage a project funded by the National Science Foundation into a much larger product that will extend the capabilities of the ocean science community to rapidly assess key biological metrics of ocean conditions,” said Hatfield Marine Science Center Director Bob Cowen. “The algorithms resulting from this competition will be applied to millions of images taken in a variety of marine environments, allowing cross-comparison and analysis at an unprecedented scale of detail and coverage.”

The National Data Science Bowl is part of Booz Allen Hamilton’s ongoing commitment to supporting data science education and awareness, evidenced by its recently launched Explore Data Science training program and Field Guide to Data Science. By partnering with Kaggle, the firm is further providing data science practitioners – from experts to novices – with the opportunity to refine and expand their analytics expertise; all while advancing critical environmental research.

Kaggle Founder and CEO Anthony Goldbloom said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Booz Allen Hamilton and the Hatfield Marine Science Center to bring this impressive challenge to our community. With over 100 categories of marine life appearing in any orientation, this problem is pushing the boundaries of what is possible with image classification. This is an opportunity for data scientists around the world to have a real impact on the health of our oceans.”

For more information on the competition as well as Booz Allen Hamilton and Kaggle’s support of the data science community, please visit www.datasciencebowl.com.

Where Are They Now? Monochrome Displays

What they were: The black-and-white CRT that most businesses and many homes used with computers from the 1970s through the late 1980s -- and they worked just fine, since most DOS applications made little use of color, and early Macs didn’t support it at all.

What happened: Graphical user interfaces, multimedia and games made universal use of color inevitable, but it took a long time before it truly conquered computing. Well into the 1990s, lots of folks who wouldn’t dream of using a black-and-white display with a desktop PC still toted monochrome notebooks. But today, even a $200 netbook has a perfectly respectable color display.

Current whereabouts: You don’t want a monochrome display. But if you did, you wouldn’t have trouble finding one. They’re still out there in large quantities, being used for electronic cash registers and other unglamorous but important text-based applications. And hey, monochrome is making its own unexpected sort of comeback: My Kindle 2 e-book reader has an E-Ink screen that does 16 shades of gray, and nothing else.

SOURCE: 'Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die' by Harry McCracken.

Kraft Foods Seeks to Recruit Diverse IT Talent via BDPA Job Board

National BDPA is pleased to announce that Kraft Foods agreed to become a sponsor of BDPA again! The company seeks to recruit BDPA members and other diverse IT professionals via our powerful Job Board, web banner and web links. In addition, the company seeks to improve upon the relationship between Kraft Foods and BDPA by purchasing ten (10) corporate memberships.

Kraft makes brands that are known and loved the world over – and they’ve been doing it for generations. Today they’re one of the largest, most renowned food and beverage businesses in North America, with 2011 combined net revenues of $18.7 billion. The company completed a major reorganization a few years ago and the rejuvenated company is a powerhouse in the food & beverage industry.

For more information about BDPA or its sponsorship program, please contact us by email (corpsales@bdpa.org) or phone (301.584-3135 x108).

Walgreens Renews Its Silver Sponsorship of BDPA

The long-term investment into BDPA by Walgreens has been ongoing for well over a decade. It continues as Walgreens renewed its Silver Level corporate sponsorship of National BDPA. Walgreens agreed to underwrite a variety of activities that include the renewal of corporate memberships, BDPA Job Board participation and an investment in the BDPA Chicago chapter annual awards banquet. Walgreens believes in the BDPA mission of advancing the careers of African Americans in the information technology industry ‘from the classroom to the boardroom’.

Pam Mathews

National BDPA president Pamela Mathews said, "I'm very excited that Walgreens has renewed our partnership. They have been a supportive and committed partner to our vision and mission. I look forward to celebrating 40 years of BDPA with Walgreens in 2015."

Diversity and inclusion at Walgreens are more than business initiatives; they are a way of life, embedded deep in its culture. As a retailer in diverse communities across the country and Puerto Rico, they want to reflect that diversity in many ways - in the products and services they offer, in their choice of the vendors and other entities with which they do business and in their everyday interactions with customers, patients and each other. BDPA has watched careers being launched at Walgreens. Walgreens recruits, retains and develops strong talent. The company offers development classes, goal setting training and mentoring to help drive success in the workplace.

Millie Liggins

“At Walgreens, we are dedicated to the well-being of our customers, employees, and communities we all call home. In addition, we are committed to sustaining a strong, technologically trained work force where innovation thrives and growth opportunities exist for varied skills, experience and backgrounds who reflect the people and communities we serve globally”, said Millie Liggins, Walgreens Strategic Implementations Team Lead. “That is why we continue to invest in organizations like BDPA … organizations that promote diversity and inclusion and help us meet our corporate objectives for talent acquisition, employee development, and philanthropic endeavors. We look forward to a successful partnership as we work together to help people get well, stay well and live well.”

Founded in 1975, BDPA is the premier organization for African American professionals in the information technology industry. BDPA has fulfilled its mission and worked to bridge the digital divide by providing career growth opportunities for its members.

Reggie Rush

“BDPA Chicago wants to thank Walgreens for their dedication, support and commitment to help BDPA impact our members and students through their contributions,” noted BDPA Chicago chapter president Reggie Rush. “It takes sponsors like Walgreens to provide the necessary resources that make it possible for BDPA to continue forward with its mission to ensure a diverse talent pipeline for the future and to encourage young people to explore careers in science and technology."

For more information about BDPA or its sponsorship program, please contact us by email (corpsales@bdpa.org) or phone (301.584-3135 x108).

Grant Proposal: Southern California Gas Company (BDPA Los Angeles)

The Sempra Energy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in San Diego, California, USA. The foundation was founded by Sempra Energy, a Fortune 250 energy services company that serves the largest customer base of any energy utility in the United States. With 13,800 employees worldwide, the Sempra Energy companies develop energy infrastructure, operate utilities, and provide related products and services to more than 29 million consumers worldwide.

One of its subsidiaries is the Southern California Gas Company. We were invited to apply for a grant proposal with Southern California Gas Company in the amount of $2500. They focus their charitable giving in a number of areas, including K-12 Programs. This program seeks to improve grades and skills in Science/Technology/Engineering/Math and increased graduation rates in underserved communities.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation worked closely with BDPA Los Angeles chapter president David Malonson to create a grant proposal that was submitted earlier this week. Wish us luck!