Message from BDPA Atlanta Chapter President

Derrick Brown

Once again, BDPA Atlanta delivered. On November 14, 2013 Felicia Jones cemented her era as BDPA Atlanta President in an elegant and professional manner at our Annual Awards and Recognition program. It was the capstone on the Jones Era, which created a foundation of growth for BDPA Atlanta.

She passed the torch of leadership to myself, Derrick S. Brown, and in the doing highlighted what we do and why we do it in a moving and informative presentation.

BDPA Atlanta is committed to living up to its motto, 'Learn, Grow, and Achieve'. We firmly believe that as volunteers we are committed to living out this mandate, and positively impacting the lives of others. We are committed to growing our youth through the efforts of STEM in our various youth programs. We are committed to helping college students through the work we’ve done in our Success Alliance programs and collegiate outreach. We are committed to helping adults through our Professional Development Bootcamp and the Learn By Doing program. We are committed to showing examples of leadership and celebrating success in our Annual Minority Information Technology Forum.

BDPA Atlanta has been and will continue to be an engine of innovation in social and technological uplift. In 2014 we will continue to build our network, leverage the connections we create, and generate new and exciting opportunities for our members.

If you weren’t with us last week, if you weren’t with us last year, if you haven’t been with us in years, if you have never been with us … then the time is now. Membership has its privileges. Come learn how to network. Come learn how to interview. Come learn how to actually put money in your pocket in the diverse and exciting world of IT. Come learn what’s new and hot and cutting edge. Come learn how to communicate with your boss for a just reward. Come learn how to be the consummate professional. Come learn how to lead. We are doing all this and more in 2014. Come … join us … join BDPA Atlanta!

D.S. Brown, president
BDPA Atlanta Chapter

An Hour of Code for Every Student

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation encourages all of its supporters to participate in Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15, 2013) ... particular the 'Hour of Code' initiative!




Why computer science?
Computer science provides a foundation for virtually any career - everybody can benefit from learning the basics. Visit Code.org for inspiration.

What's an Hour of Code?

It's a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code" and show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, an innovator.  The goal is to provide a variety of self-guided tutorials that anybody can do, on a browser, tablet, or smartphone. You can even have unplugged tutorials for classrooms without computers. No experience needed.

How can I host the Hour of Code at my local BDPA chapter, school, company, or organization?

• At your school: If you are a parent or student, ask the principal or a tech-savvy teacher for their support to allow you to host the Hour of Code. It is not hard to organize events and connect to the Hour of Code tutorials. See the school participation guide for more information.

• If you are a teacher, You can find resources to support your leading an Hour of Code. The tools are simple, painless, and easy to use. Don't have enough computers in your school? Don't worry, we have offline or phone-based options. See the school participation guide for more information.

• At your company: Sign up your co-workers for an hour of code. See our employer participation guide for more information.

• At your local BDPA chapter or nonprofit: There are many event ideas to share that will help you get your members excited and activated to host an Hour of Code in your community. See the community participation guide for more information.

• At home: Organize a family hour of code and let your kids teach you. You can use PCs, tablets, smart phones, or one of our Hour of Code unplugged activities (example). Everything is available online, to make it easy for busy parents to participate.

What day do I need to do my Hour of Code?
You can do your Hour of Code on any day during CSEdWeek (December 9-15, 2013).

What if I live outside of the US?
You are welcome to participate in the Hour of Code.

• Click Here to Learn More About An Hour of Code
• Click Here to see video on Coding

BDPA iRadio Show: November 12, 2013 (Janice Coleman, William Flowers, Carmen Giles)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud to be the creator of the BDPA iRadio Show. You can listen to the archive version of the show using the widget shown in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. FREE download from the iTunes Store is also available for our listeners!

New Technology Internet Radio with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guests on the November 12th show:

Carmen Giles - Chapter President, BDPA Milwaukee - Carmen Giles is BDPA Milwaukee chapter president. Carmen has numerous years in managing diverse engagements, program management, and technical initiatives for enterprise level Information Technology (IT). Carmen has a diverse background which include; management, interpersonal skills, program and environment management, teaching and training of ERP software applications, main frame operations, systems/business analysis and design, and computer programming. Carmen is a certified Project Manager and has experience in managing various projects across multiple platforms using a number of tools and methodologies. She came on board earlier this year as the 'corporate champion' for MillerCoors where she has worked for the past 24 years. She learned that the local BDPA chapter was inactive ... and she immediately stepped in to serve as the chapter president. BDPA iRadio Show listeners learn about her perspective as a new chapter president and also her thoughts about creating a powerful leadership team for a nonprofit organization.

William Flowers - Chief Information Officer, DFW International Airport - William has been the chief information officer for one of the world's largest airports for over 12 years. He has been a leader in BDPA for even longer ... serving as both BDPA Dallas chapter president (1991-1993) and national Outside Director (2012-2013). He has a unique perspective to offer BDPA iRadio Show listeners about the power of BDPA as it relates to your career in the IT industry as well as to workforce development in our community. In fact, William attributes his experiences in BDPA for his success as one of the most powerful IT executives in the nation. DFW Airport twitter handle is @DFWAirport


Janice Coleman - President/CEO, Janice Coleman Corporation (JCC) - Janice is a master communicator. Her action-provoking presentations are sought out and tremendously well-received by all audiences. She has held many strategic roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors for over 20 years during which time she has had the pleasure of leading teams to great success in their respective industry segments. She is a regular contributor to BDPA, having presented to at several chapters in the Northeast Region including Philadelphia, North Delaware and North Jersey. Janice hosts a monthly Career Triage© webinar for all BDPA supporters and she was a recent conference workshop presenter on multiple topics that included: 'Stand Up. Stand Out. The Science of Executive Presence.' and 'Resume Review: Maximize Your Experience.' BDPA iRadio Show listeners will enjoy the insights shared by Janice Coleman. The National BDPA twitter handle is @JaniceMColeman.

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We hope you enjoy the insights and commentary on the show from each of these guests. Please take a moment to post a comment to let us know that you care!

Happy Thanksgiving from BDPA

Election Results: BDPA Chicago Chapter (2014-2015)

BDPA Chicago chapter has a powerful legacy that has grown since its founding in March 1986. The chapter recently concluded elections that put in place those brothers and sisters who will take BDPA Chicago chapter to the next level in 2014-2015. The following officers were elected in accordance with chapter bylaws:

President - Reggie Rush (Geneca)  

Executive Vice President - Nashunda Bolden (Computer Resource Solutions)  

Administrative Vice President - Pamela Nortfleet (Chicago School of Professional Psychology)  

Treasurer - Jesse Mathews III (McDonald's)  

Recording Secretary - Henri'Etta Goodwin, (McDermott Will & Emery)  

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 within the metro Chicago area. They have some large shoes to fill ... and BDPA Chicago is not only the largest chapter in the nation ... it is also the defending BDPA Chapter-of-the-Year!

BDPA iRadio Show - November 26, 2013 (Monique Berry)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud to be the creator of the BDPA iRadio Show. You can listen to the archive version of the show using the widget shown in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. FREE download from the iTunes Store is also available for our listeners!

New Technology Internet Radio with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guests on the November 26th show:

Monique Berry - President, National BDPA - Monique is a remarkable woman with a powerful legacy in BDPA. She is winding down her 2-year term of office as our National BDPA president. As such she has led a time of growth and development of BDPA programs, scholarships and services on a national level. She is national spokesperson and chief evangelist to the IT industry and the Black community about all things related to BDPA. Monique served as an award-winning chapter president in Philadelphia before being elected to the highest office on a national level. Her accomplishments within BDPA are uplifting and challenging. You will enjoy hearing her on the BDPA iRadio Show. Her twitter handle is @Monique_Berry.

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We hope you enjoy the insights and commentary on the show from our guests. Please take a moment to post a comment to let us know that you care!

Blacks In Technology Podcast #45: Joshua Hoskins (Appirio)

Joshua Hoskins

BDPA seeks to support all efforts to advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry from the classroom to the boardroom. One way that we do so is be broadening awareness of the brothers and sisters who are silently becoming rock stars in the IT industry. Many of these unheralded rock stars are being interviewed by the folks over at Blacks In Technology.

In this podcast, Joshua Hoskins talks about his journey to becoming a salesforce.com consulting MVP. Joshua shares valuable tips on driving your career, taking risks, starting his own company, relationship management, life hacking, work-life balance and how to get a job offer while attending Dreamforce. He even gets in some nitty gritty details of data modeling on cloud platforms! Tune in because won’t want to miss this podcast!



Joshua has been using computers since he was four years-old. He began writing code in the 5th grade. He was 'Director of Information Technology' by the age of 22. While being extremely passionate about Customer Relationship Management & Application Development he lives to build reliable, robust and scalable solutions just about anything you can think of.

Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships -- Deadline: December 5, 2013

The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships recognize students who are driving awareness and mobilizing youth to be catalysts for innovative models and solutions to eliminate hunger in America. The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships recognize and reward students who have made a significant impact in the fight against hunger. The scholarship recipients each receive $5,000 [Click here for additional details]

Also visit Planning and Preparing for Scholarships, Internships, Etc for additional information.

Old School Friday: 'Skypager' - A Tribe Called Quest

Geek Lyric: In a song flush with quotable lines, "Beeper's goin off like Don Trump gets checks. / Keep my bases loaded like the New York Mets" stands out simply because of the Donald's longevity. [SOURCE]

Hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest developed a reputation for insightful political and social commentary, but the group also celebrated gadgets and tech. They frequently trumpeted the swinging benefits of one particularly awesome status symbol of the '80s and '90s: the pager.



A recurring feature on our blog ... Old School Friday! Every so often we will share a music video from back in the day that had a technology twist. If you have ideas on potential songs you think should be included ... please share!

SEO Career Program -- Apply Now

Do you want to be part of the Nation's Premier Internship Program?

The SEO Career program was founded in 1980 and is the nation's premier internship program leading to full-time job offers . For each of the last 3 years, 85% of eligible students received an offer.

SEO places top undergraduate students of color in 10 week paid ($600 - $1,200/week) summer internships in 7 different program areas: Accounting, Asset Management, Corporate Law, Global Corporate Financial Leadership, Information Technology, Investment Banking, and Philanthropy.

[Read More]

Tech Expresso Cafe: 'Greg Greenlee, Founder of Blacks In Technology' (November 19, 2013)

Greg Greenlee, Owner and Founder of Blacks In Technology (BIT), 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 Mr. Greenlee has BIT, its role in the community, upcoming programs and activities and the information technology content generated by BIT subscribers.

We invite all BDPA stakeholders to enjoy the podcast!

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

Election Results: BDPA New York (2014-2015)

BDPA New York chapter has a powerful legacy since its founding in November 1982. The chapter met on November 14, 2013 to determine the leaders who carry the baton in 2014-2015.

Renetta English, Tyrone McKinney and Anthony Dupree

The newly-elected officers are:

• President - Tyrone Terrence McKinney (Bloomberg)
• President Elect - Anthony Dupree (Elizabeth Arden)
• Vice President, Finance - Jim Harrison

Please join the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation in thanking Renetta English and Wanda Jackson for their years of leadership service as they end their executive leadership roles with BDPA New York chapter.  It is worth noting that BDPA New York chapter won numerous chapter awards during their tenure including back-to-back 'Chapter of the Year' awards in 2011 and 2012.

Message from Incoming BDPA Midwest Region Vice-President

Michael Wulf

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

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

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

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

Regards,
Michael Wulf, VP-elect
BDPA Midwest Region

Old School Friday: 'Rockit' - Herbie Hancock

A recurring feature on our blog ... Old School Friday! Every so often we will share a music video from back in the day that had a technology twist. If you have ideas on potential songs you think should be included ... please share!

Soulclap to Kimsuccess Milton who reminded us of the technofunk that Herbie Hancock brought to us back in 1984. How many of y'all remember the androids and ridiculous robot-like figures that were part of the 'Rockit' video?

BDPA Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Freeman Hrabowski (UMBC President)

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski (president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County) received a BDPA Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2013 BDPA Technology Conference. He shared his thoughts on this award via this video clip.



Dr. Hrabowski is a leading advocate for getting diversity in higher education and is committed to helping students of all backgrounds pursue their dreams of becoming scientists and engineers. President Barack Obama recently named him chair of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Wordless Wednesday: Howard and Karen James, Former BDPA Philadelphia Chapter President and First Lady

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Photostream on Flickr

InRoads -- Accepting Applications for Interns

InRoads will begin processing new applications for Summer 2013 internships on September 1st. This date is currently for current college students.

INROADS Internships are awarded to outstanding ethnically diverse students. Only the best and the brightest are selected. Our Interns are graduating high school seniors, college or university freshmen or sophomores with a grade point average of B or better, and a combined SAT score of at least 1000, or an ACT score of 20 or better.

The students have demonstrated a proven leadership ability, and are interested in pursuing a Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, computer and information sciences, sales, marketing, allied health care, healthcare management, and retail management.

The mission of INROADS is to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.

INROADS seeks high performing African American, Hispanic, and Native American Indian students for internship opportunities with some of the nation's largest companies. Our rigorous career development training process will challenge you to commit to excellence and raise the bar on your personal expectations.

[More on how to apply]

Message from BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter President

Karen Smith

Thanks to the 2013 BDPA Northern Delaware Banquet Planning Team for an extraordinary celebration of our STEM Initiative! After seven years of leading the Northern Delaware Chapter, this event served as my last official act as the Chapter President.

Our 2013 event was an Annual Event where we specifically thanked our Corporate Sponsors, Student Leaders, and Volunteers. The overall success of the BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter can be attributed to contributions of all three. JPMorgan Chase, as a chapter sponsor, is a big part of what makes our chapter successful.

We also introduced the 2014-2015 BDPA Northern Delaware chapter president to the Delaware community. We are preparing for growth in 2014 with 60 plus students aligned to our programs, 60% of them college students. This is the result of our partnership with three premier Delaware Universities and three local High Schools. I want to acknowledge the Northern Delaware Student Affiliate chapter at Delaware State University and our growing partnership with the National Society of Black Engineer's chapter on the University of Delaware campus. I want to also thank Wilmington University for the gift of lab space and student scholarships.

Sincerely,
Karen Smith, president
BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter

This Week in BDPA (November 10-16, 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 :

• Nov 10: BDPA Chicago - Workshop, 'Virtualization, Linux, Security and Cisco'
• Nov 12: BDPA Education and Technology Foundation - Webinar, 'BDPA iRadio Show'
• Nov 13: BDPA New Jersey - Webinar, 'How Cloud Computing Can Cut Your IT Costs by Half'
• Nov 14: BDPA Dallas - Program Meeting, 'Text Marketing is Taking Technology to the Next Level'
• Nov 14: BDPA Atlanta - Fundraiser, 'Awards & Recognition Banquet'
• Nov 15: BDPA Dallas - Workshop, '3D Printing & Robots'
• Nov 15-16: National BDPA - Meeting, '4Q-2013 National Board of Directors'
• Nov 16: BDPA Dallas - Workshop, '3D Printing & Robots'

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.

Dr. Craig Brown Interviewed by The Philantrepreneur Show

Dr. Victoria Boyd (Galaxy Group) is excited to share the hosting duties with Susan Dane Setin (Smart Women International). National BDPA vice president Dr. Craig Brown (STEM Resource Partners) is the guest for this 30-minute interview on The Philantrepreneur Show originally aired on November 6, 2013.

New Business Podcasts with The Philantrepreneur Show on BlogTalkRadio

Old School Friday: 'Computer Love' (Zapp with Roger Troutman)

A new feature on our blog ... Old School Friday! Every so often we will share a music video from back in the day that had a technology twist. If you have ideas on potential songs for us to share ... please share!

How many of you remember Roger Troutman and his band, Zapp? One of their hits was a song called, 'Computer Love'.

Burger King Scholarship Program

BURGER KING® Scholars awards assist students who work part-time and excel academically. Since 2000, the BURGER KING® Scholars Program has granted more than 11,000 scholarships throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Awards of $1,000 each are sponsored annually by the fundraising efforts of Burger King Corporation, BURGER KING® franchisees, and their restaurant guests. An additional 121 BURGER KING® Scholars awards are also granted from the Foundation endowment to graduating high school seniors.

To learn more about the BURGER KING® Scholars Program or your eligibility, click here.

Wordless Wednesday: National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions (Southern Minnesota, 2011)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Photostream on Flickr

Where Are They Now: BDPA Miami (OH) University Founders

BDPA made a push for college chapters in 2000-2001 time frame. The experiment with college chapters ended in 2007 when existing college chapters were merged into professional chapters in the same geographic area.

I was chapter president in Cincinnati when we helped to create a BDPA college chapter at Miami (OH) University. The BDPA Miami (OH) University Chapter founded in 2001 by some talented students and faculty advisers. Some of the charter members included:

1. Vincent Cross
2. Nnenna Ezeh
3. Daphney Graves
4. Monica Hopkins
5. Stanley Jackson
6. Veronica Lewis
7. Ryan Nalls
8. Jason Poole
9. Thomas Taleatha
10. Joseph Warren

Where are they now?

This Week in BDPA (November 3-9, 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 :

• Nov 3: BDPA Washington DC - Fundraiser, '35th Annual Awards Gala'
• Nov 6: BDPA Pittsburgh - Networking, 'Meet & Greet (hosted by PNC Bank)'
• Nov 7: National BDPA - Conference Call, 'Strategy & Planning (2014-2019) Meeting'
• Nov 9: BDPA Northern Delaware - Fundraiser, 'Annual Banquet & Education Showcase'

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, October 2013)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership. As such it is good to note that BDPA membership has grown for the 4th straight month. In fact, the total membership in BDPA has grown almost 35% from this same time last year!  In fact, BDPA membership in October 2013 is higher than any month since March 2010! Congratulations to National BDPA VP-Membership Management Curtis Jenkins for the work being done within his business area to move membership recruitment and retention in the right direction.

We also want to congratulate the BDPA Detroit chapter for advancing five places to become the 10th largest chapter in the nation over the past month.  Chapter president Beverly Moore and her leadership team managed to increase membership in their chapter by over 36% in the month of October.  It is great to see positive news coming out of Detroit!

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

We lost BDPA Middle Tennessee from the Top 10 for the first time in many moons.

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 (Sep 2013)
Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Nov 2012)
Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Oct 2011)
Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Aug 2010) 
Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Oct 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?