Message from New York Chapter President

As I sat down to pen my last message as President of BDPA New York, I could not think of the last words or message to express. So I decided to review our photo album. Then the following words immediately came straight out of my heart - Thank You. A photo album has a beautiful way of reflecting memories. No matter what took place: good or bad, pictures tell a beautiful story.

Highlights of my administration are as follows:

1. SITES
   
   • Our SITES students participated in BDPA’s Regional and National Conferences via programs such as the High School Computer Competition, in which they placed in the top 10 for the past three years, as well as the Youth Technology Camp and IT Showcase. Special acknowledgment goes to National Grid and Sesame Flyers International, who always provided the resources to prepare our students for technical competitions.
   • A few of our SITES students were chosen for the unique opportunity to intern at Bank of New York and UBS.
   • Thanks to Dr. Jesse Bemley, our students received the chance of a lifetime -- the opportunity to attend the 2009 and 2010 Teragrid Computing Conference.
   
   
2. Communications
   
   • Our newsletter, HumanWARE, was revamped in Summer 2008 with a new look and feel.
   • Our website underwent a complete redesign in April 2008.
   • We expanded our communication reach by joining Crowdrise, Facebook and LinkedIn Network in 2009.
   
   
3. Community Outreach
   
   • We conducted workshops for the community during February for Black Family Technology Awareness Week and during October for National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
   • We partnered with nonprofit organizations to participate in events such as No Limits Career Day and Sisterhood: United We Inspire.
   • We developed or strengthened relationships with organizations and businesses such as the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, SmallbizTechnology.com, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, The Web Academy, National Urban League, National Black MBA Association and B. Smith’s Restaurant.
   
   
4. Membership Events
   
   
   • Thanks to our members and supporters, we were able to conduct technical & professional presentations on such topics as Cloud Computing, Social Networking
     Strategies, The Role of IT in Voting, Turning a No into a Yes and Virtualization and Client Computing.
   • We provided social and networking opportunities to our membership with events such as our monthly Meet-n-Greet at B. Smith’s, Sing Harlem, Sing Theatre event, and Book Signing Party.
   
   
5. Sponsorship/Community Support
   
   • Thanks to our corporate sponsors and community supporters: UBS, JPMorgan Chase, DELBAC Inc and Yahoo! Employee Foundation, several BDPA members received employment opportunities and eighteen $500 scholarships were distributed to our SITES students.

Judaea is 'Lady in Red'

My success as President could not have happened without the support of my Executive Board, our members and our many supporters. Thank You and Thank You once again for allowing me to represent you as President of BDPA New York.

Best wishes, Good health, and Love,
Judaea Yarde Lane, President (2006-2010)
BDPA New York Chapter