Member on the Move: Alan Rosales (University of Rochester, Class of 2014)

Alan Rosales

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation began following the exploits of Alan Rosales in 2009 when we shared his High School Computer Competition (HSCC) testimonial on this blog.  Alan Rosales is a HSCC alumnus from the New York Chapter.

BDPA New York chapter legend Denise Hamilton recently shared an update on the academic accomplishments of this young squire.  Alan graduated from the University of Rochester with a bachelor of science in Biomedical Engineering in May 2014.   BDPA supported Alan's educational pursuits by providing him with at least two scholarships - Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship and Oracle Scholarship.  Alan appreciates BDPA for the scholarship awards.  Alan credits his participation in the BDPA HSCC program for sparking the idea to pursue a career in the biomedical engineering industry.

Alan was an active member of the University of Rochester campus.  He served in a number of leadership roles with the campus chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers up to and including its presidency in 2013-2014.  Alan also worked in the biochemistry research laboratory at the University of Rochester Medical Center under the guidance of Dr. Mark E. Dumont.

Alan’s short term goal is to volunteer at various research labs to determine whether he wants to work in cell and tissue engineering, biochemistry, molecular, genetics, or cancer-focused research. He plans to purse a PhD in either biochemistry or biomedical engineering.

BDPA provides programs, scholarships and services that help its young people win the future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  Alan Rosales is an example of the wonderful results of the work being done in 46 local chapters around the nation by selfless volunteers such as Denise Hamilton.   Our nation needs to see more young people of color succeeding in STEM fields.   If you know of another nonprofit organization that is doing more in this space ... then donate to them.   However, if you know that BDPA is doing 'good works' that should be encouraged ... then donate to us ... and to it TODAY!   That is best way you can honor the graduation of Alan Rosales!

BDPA Birthday Love for Curtis Jenkins

One of the most accomplished BDPA leaders in our history is Curtis Jenkins. He celebrates his birthday today!

Curtis has been an active member and leader of the BDPA Philadelphia Chapter since 2002. Curtis Jenkins served as the Immediate Past President for 2008 and 2009 and also the Corporate Advisory Council Chairperson for BDPA Philadelphia. In his duties as Immediate Past President, he served as an ambassador, mentor, and voting member of the BDPA Philadelphia Executive Committee sharing his experiences as a President and member of the National Board of Directors for BDPA. As Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) Chairperson, Curtis is primarily responsible for the solicitation of CAC membership, scheduling and facilitating the quarterly meetings, maintaining the CAC Charter and serving as the focal point for information between the CAC and the BDPA Executive Board.

Prior to serving as Immediate Past President and CAC Chairperson, Curtis served as the Chapter President from 2006 and 2007. Prior to Chapter President, Curtis served for 2 years as VP of Business Management responsible for running the BDPA Philadelphia operations and Vice President of Professional Development responsible for the chapter’s monthly program meetings.

In addition to local chapter responsibilities, Curtis works on various National BDPA committees including the responsibility for the Elections and By-Laws Committees and the Human Resources areas as National Director of Logistics. 

Curtis has over 20 years of IT and business experience. Curtis is a Project Management Institute (PMI) certified, Project Management Professional (PMP) currently working as a Program Manager in the Information Technology Department, at Amtrak, responsible for Stimulus funded Police and Security Equipment Modernization efforts.

Prior to joining Amtrak, Curtis was a Project Manager at DOW Chemical (formerly Rohm and Haas) responsible for Merger and Acquisition Integration and the M&A Strategy development for low cost/shorter timeline integrations. Curtis was a Project Management consultant at Bank of America and a partner at Eustice Associates LLC, where he was responsible for developing and implementing strategies and projects that improved operational efficiencies that had a direct positive impact on a client’s bottom line. He has also worked in the financial services industry at Fleet Credit Card Services, BankOne, and FirstUSA Bank. While in the financial services industry, Curtis transitioned from the area of software development to project management. Before this, he worked for Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic) and PECO.

Curtis has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Temple University and a graduate degree in Management of Technology from the University of Pennsylvania – School of Engineering and Applied Sciences & Wharton Business School.

Please join all of BDPA-Nation in wishing Curtis a very glorious birthday!

BlueCross BlueShield Shows New Robotics Technology at BDPA Career Fair

Did you see the Double telepresence robot showcased at the 2014 BDPA Career Fair by the folks from BlueCross BlueShield of IL, MT, NM, OK, TX? The Indianapolis Recorder was enamored enough to place a video vignette on their YouTube channel.

Message from BDPA Corporate Sponsor: MillerCoors

Norm Fleming

Norman Fleming (senior director, MillerCoors) is a long-time member and supporter of BDPA programs, scholarships and services. He believes that BDPA is filled with information technology thought leaders that are making a difference when it comes to preparing the Black community to win the future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Norman introduced BDPA to his company ... MillerCoors ... and the corporate partnership has flourished over the past few years. In addition to being a major sponsor at the national level, MillerCoors is working closely with our local BDPA chapters in Chicago and Milwaukee. In fact, MillerCoors hosts many of the public meetings for BDPA Milwaukee chapter!

Norman shared the following message earlier this month:

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"Great news for MillerCoors. We were named “Outstanding Corporation of the Year” at the 36th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference & Career Fair held August 5-9, 2014 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. The following BDPA awards/acknowledgements have been achieved during that conference week:

• BDPA “Outstanding Corporation of the Year” - BDPA recognizes exceptional companies that provide African Americans with challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in Information Technology. MillerCoors was recognized as a company who have demonstrated a commitment to BDPA’s mission, people and an understanding that Diversity has a bottom line business case value. Key contributors: Karen Alber (BDPA/SIM CIO Panelist, BDPA Chicago Chapter Award of Excellence), Bill Eismont (Dignitaries Panelist), Carmen Giles (Milwaukee Chapter President), Ashton Clark, Adrienne Williams, Melodi Warren Anderson, Treccy Marquardt-Thomas (BIS summer intern), Dave Hora and BISLT.
  

Carmen Giles & Craig Brown

• BDPA “Comeback Chapter of the Year” - BDPA recognizes chapters across the country that are committed to developing the Information Technology talent pipeline from the “Classroom to the Boardroom.” BDPA Milwaukee Chapter was recognized as the “Comeback Chapter of the Year” for its accelerated growth and commitment to students, members, and corporate sponsors. Compared to 45 other chapters across the nation, BDPA Milwaukee has attracted the highest percent of new members in one year. And, for the first time in its history, the Milwaukee Chapter sponsored eight local high school students in this year’s National High School Computer Competition championship. Key contributors: Carmen Giles (Chapter President), Allen Baylor, Adrienne Williams, Melodi Warren Anderson and Matt Brahm (HSCC Instructor)

• BDPA Dignitaries Panel Discussion on the topic “Executive Presence” - MillerCoors sponsored the IT Senior Management Forum Networking and BDPA Dignitaries Panel Reception. CIOs, CTOs, SVPs, VPs, and senior leaders from Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and educational institutions convened during the BDPA conference to learn from top executives on the key “leadership presence” attributes required for aspiring IT and business leaders in their respective careers. The CIO/EVP of Eli Lilly, Global CIO of Deloitte (moderator) and VP of Johnson & Johnson were some of the key members of this distinguished panel. Key contributors: Bill Eismont (MillerCoors Panelist), Carmen Giles and Ashton Clark

• JW Marriott Indianapolis – Point of Distribution (POD) - MillerCoors was the exclusive adult beverage provider of beer/cider products throughout the entire conference at every BDPA corporate reception, post reception party, and the Black-Tie Awards Gala. As MillerCoors recently launched Redd’s Wicked Apple nationally, this brand was the #1 consumed FMB product throughout the National BDPA conference at the second largest JW Marriott in the nation. MillerCoors promoted Wicked Apple, Miller Fortune, Crispin Original, Smith & Forge, Redd’s Apple Ale, Redd’s Strawberry Ale, Summer Shandy, Blue Moon, Peroni, Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Batch 19. And, MillerCoors’ branded glassware was showcased at the receptions. Furthermore, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Summer Shandy, and Redd’s Apple Ale were also served on draft at the JW Marriott sports bar. Key Contributors: JW Marriott (Amy McNeely), Monarch Beverage Co. (Ashley Searer), MillerCoors (Ryan Tohill, Norm Fleming)
  

Thanks to the MillerCoors team that spent the week in Indy promoting our company. We are proud to be America’s Best Beer Company!"

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This is an example of the multi-dimensional relationship that BDPA seeks to have with each of its corporate sponsors. We are convinced that BDPA provides a remarkable 'return on investment' for Corporate America. If you or your company would like to learn more about BDPA sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to us by email (corpsales@bdpa.org) or phone, (301) 584-3135, ext. 108.

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Los Angeles ($2,743)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce approval of the funding request made by BDPA Los Angeles in the amount of $2,743.00. This grant disbursement flows smoothly with our vision to achieve, through investment in education and technology, an informed minority community prepared to lead and leverage the knowledge revolution for the benefit of the community-at-large.

The funding request was made earlier this month by BDPA Los Angeles chapter president David Malonson. The funding will be used to cover expenses incurred within the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Specifically, the chapter needed the funds to ensure the full participation of three students and a chaperone at the 2014 BDPA Technology Conference held in Indianapolis, IN.

BETF appreciates the aggressive fundraising efforts by BDPA Los Angeles chapter over the past year. We are hopeful to see similar activity from the other 45 local BDPA chapters around the nation. The funding process is explained in more detail on the BETF website.

Technology Expresso: 2014 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions (Washington DC)

National BDPA crowned five young people trained by our Washington DC chapter as the 2014 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) champions! This was the third national HSCC championship for BDPA Washington DC and the first since 1990.

L-R: Naomi Matthews (coordinator), Lauren Battle, Zion Emanuel, Johnathan Legrant,
Alex Li, Michael Wood (chaperone). Not Pictured: Beleicia Bullock

Throughout the year, local chapters provide after-school or weekend computer camps for the youth in their communities. These computer camps are designed to teach our young people to code (program), design websites, create databases, make presentations and work as part of a team. Eventually, each local BDPA chapter selects a team of up to five students to represent its city in the annual HSCC championship. This year the HSCC students were competing for over $43,000 in college scholarships sponsored by Oracle and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).

Listen to the interview of the remarkable BDPA Washington DC youngsters conducted by David Blackman and Jacqueline Sanders (Technology Expresso Cafe'):

Current Education Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Tech Expresso Cafe on BlogTalkRadio

BETF would like to double the amount of college scholarships that we give out next year via the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund. We need your help to do so. It's not an ice bucket. It's simply an appeal to our members and supporters to help us advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry from the classroom to the boardroom. All you need to do is make a secure online donation today. Doable?

Where Are They Now? 2005 Conference Honorary Chairs

I enjoyed my final year as national BDPA president. One of the highlights of the year was hosting the annual BDPA Technology Conference in Detroit MI. I started my BDPA career as a member of the BDPA Detroit chapter back in 1988 ... so it seemed fitting to end my presidential term with the conference being held in downtown Detroit.

Anyhow, one of the important elements of any conference is the honorary chairs. These are the people who lend credibility to the gathering. They reach into their Rolodex to call on their colleagues to attend and support the event. The 2005 BDPA Conference Honorary Chairs were:

1. Anthony Abbattista (Vice President, Enterprise Technology Strategy & Planning, Allstate Insurance) - Mr. Abbattista joined Allstate in 2003 and was responsible for enterprise strategy, applications, information services, technical architecture and technology governance.
   
2. Bob Blackwell (BDPA Outside Director) - Robert D. Blackwell, Sr. was chairman and CEO of Blackwell Consulting Services (BCS), a company he founded in 1992 after 25 years with IBM. BCS appeared on the Black Enterprises Top 100 multiple times. Bob was also the keynote speaker at the awards gala in 2005.
   
3. Curvie Burton (ITSMF Chairperson) - In addition to being ITSMF chair, Curvie was a senior director for EDS. At EDS he led a global initiative focused on development and deployment of a consistent business model for account operations. Curvie served as president of BDPA Detroit chapter back in 1992-1993.
   
4. Stephen Finnerty (Vice President, Worldwide IT Operations, Dell) - Steve Finnerty was responsible for managing Dell's global supply chain and manufacturing systems. It was thru his vision and support that our BDPA Austin chapter was founded.
   
5. Peter Karmanos, Jr. (Chairman/CEO, Compuware Corporation) - Mr. Karmanos ensures that Compuware delivers value to its customers. How? Simple - through the hottest distributed products in the market, through outstanding professional services and through the most respected mainframe software in the world. Compuware invested more in BDPA over the past 30 years than any corporation in America.
   
6. George Maier (Vice President, Business Operations, Hewlett-Packard) - Mr. Maier led a multidimensional organization responsible for global customer account support and worldwide business process development.
   
7. Chris Scalet (Chief Information Officer, Merck & Company) - Mr. Scalet is responsible for worldwide information technology operations with one of the largest companies in America. He was keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies of our 2003 annual BDPA Technology Conference held in Philadelphia PA.
   
8. Marlin Wilson-Threatt - (Deputy Chief Information Officer, City of Detroit) - Ms. Wilson-Threatt was responsible for developing consistent and progressive information technology policies, budget and staff management, project implementation, and ongoing support of the network, desktops, and business applications.

These eight leaders helped us have a tremendously successful national conference in 2005. I wonder if this post will bring them through cyberspace to leave a COMMENT below? If not, perhaps you can tell us where they are now? What say u?

What Do Pandora, Indiegogo and Ferguson Police Have in Common? Unable to Hire Black Folks!

Both Pandora and Indiegogo released diversity reports today that highlight an absence of African American employees. The companies join a bandwagon of tech brands that have been releasing similar reports throughout the summer.

At Pandora, approximately 3% of its 1,300 or so employees are African American and 4% are Hispanic.  That is the same percentage of African Americans as you find in the Ferguson, Missouri police department ... and we see how that worked out!   The low numbers are notable given that the company is located in Oakland, where about 28% of the total population is African American and 25% is Hispanic. The percentage of African Americans is even lower in leadership and tech roles, where they represent only 1.1 and 2.8% of employees. In contrast 6.3% of Pandora's leadership is Hispanic.

At Indiegogo, a company of slightly more than 100 employees, only 2% of total employees are African American, and the group is not represented in leadership or tech positions.

Read the rest of the TechCrunch article.

Rest in Peace: Brandon Robert Gardner (1984-2009)

All members of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) family were saddened to learn of the death of Brandon Robert Gardner (1984-2009).

Brandon attended at least five national BDPA technology conferences ... including the 1999 conference in which he participated as a member of the Los Angeles chapter high school computer competition (HSCC) team.

Brandon helped to coach and chaperone the LA chapter HSCC team the next year when the national championship took place in Chicago. He is also remembered for making outstanding program meeting presentations on the Internet for his west coast chapter.

Brandon's dad, Robert, served as BDPA Los Angeles chapter president in 1999-2000. The entire Gardner family dealt with the rare disease, San Joacquin Valley Fever, for many years. Brandon lost his battle with the disease on August 22, 2009.

To the Gardner family, we say, "Hold tight to memories for comfort, lean on your friends for strength and always remember how much you are cared about."
To our young prince, Brandon Robert Gardner, we say, "Rest in peace."

BDPA Los Angeles chapter created the Brandon Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor the memory of this young man.   Contact BETF by phone (513.284-4968) or email if you would like to make a tax-deductible pledge to the BDPA Los Angeles Chapter Fund in Brandon's memory.

Tech Entrepreneur Eric Hamilton on 'Challenges Facing Blacks in Technology'

Eric Hamilton is a technology entrepreneur and a member of our BDPA New York chapter.  Eric helped unleash Around The Way which is a mobile app company.   Around The Way's mobile app finds the closest Black-owned business to your location. He founded the Web Academy, a FREE online school that teaches web design. He wrote the book, 'Social Media Branding in the Age of Obama'.

Currently, Eric is crowdfunding for his newest innovation, 'TinyStic', a portable HDMI device that uses wireless Miracast technology to turn your phone into a PC.

Anyhow, Eric was interviewed by Declassified Agenda and he shared his thoughts on the challenges that face Blacks in Technology and how he sees African Americans succeeding in the information technology industry.



Eric laid out some fairly provocative opinions on the challenges that face Blacks in technology. Do you agree or disagree with his thoughts on the matter?

Bemley Scholar Trayer Harvey Slugs His Way to University of California, Santa Cruz

Did you know that the nickname for the University of California, Santa Cruz is 'Banana Slugs'? That is one of the factoids that come to light whenever the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) pays out a college scholarship to one of our deserving student members!

Trayer Harvey

BETF is pleased to announce that $1,500 from Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship fund has been awarded to BDPA Los Angeles student member Trayer Harvey. This young squire represented his chapter three times (2011-2013) at the national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. Each year the performance of the team improved until Trayer and his teammates were able to bring home the silver medal from the 2013 national HSCC championship!

We want to make a quantum leap in the amount of college scholarships that we award in 2015. We need the support of BDPA members and sponsors to 'make it so'. Please consider making a secure online donation today in honor of Trayer and the other young people who benefit from the STEM-based training provided by BDPA all over the nation.

Bemley Scholar Alex Li Seeks Engineering Degree from University of Maryland

Alex Li

Alex Li has been part of the BDPA computer camps hosted each Saturday by our BDPA Washington DC chapter for the past five years. He earned a place on the chapter's national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team in 2012-2014.  The excellent performance by his HSCC team in 2013 (4th place) and 2014 (1st place) earned this young squire $2,500 in college scholarships from the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund.

Alex graduated from Poolesville High School in June 2014. He now attends the University of Maryland College Park where he plans to double-major in Electrical Engineering and either Finance or Business Management. He has been focused entirely on his education so he doesn't have any employment experience at this point. Our hope is that one of our BDPA corporate sponsors will scoop Alex up for a summer internship next year. Alex tells us that his ultimate career goal is to start and manage his own company!

We asked Alex to share some memories of his BDPA experience with our blog readers:

"When I first joined BDPA Washington DC in the 8th grade, I did not know what to expect. I was unfamiliar with the group and the subject matter for the weekend computer camp. I had very little understanding of what programming was and what it was used for. Over the course of the past five years in the BDPA program I have been enlightened to a whole new world of computer programming and information systems.

BDPA steered me towards the undergraduate degree I will soon be obtaining. I never considered majoring in something like computer science or electrical engineering. Participating and competing in BDPA has opened countless new opportunities for me. The experience I gained these five years convinced me to pursue a career in the STEM field.

2014 National HSCC Champions! Alex is 2nd from right.

My most memorable moment in BDPA came earlier this month when my teammates and I were called up to the stage to be recognized for winning the gold medal in 2014 National BDPA HSCC Championship. I was very grateful when my team won first place after working for five years towards that goal."

Alex is a remarkable young man. He is the reason that the BDPA volunteers in Washington DC and around the nation work so hard to advance the careers of people in our community 'from the classroom to the boardroom'. You can help. Please take a moment and make a secure online donation in support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services. Do it today. Let's work to give out twice as many college scholarships next year!

Cincinnati Students Earn $15,625 in STEM Scholarships at BDPA Conference

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, led by chapter president Dalric Webb (GE), sent a contingent of seven high school and college students to the 36th annual BDPA Technology Conference earlier this month in Indianapolis. Those students participated in a variety of STEM-based competitions that including a high school computer competition (HSCC), IT showcase and mobile application showcase. These young people came home from the conference with $15,625 in college scholarships!

The chapter trained 14 students at Cincinnati State Technical College in a computer camp that met for 4-5 hours each Saturday for the first six months of the year.  The computer camp was led by volunteer instructors Deborah Prince (xpedx) and Frank Hill (Hiltronics Computer Associates).

L-R: Dalric Webb, Yaw Asante, Jon Carr, Wayne Hicks,
Austin Murph, Deborah Prince, Hasani Harrigan, Frank Hill

Four high school students were selected to compete as part of the chapter's national HSCC team in a comprehensive 3-part competition (oral, written and 7-hour coding).  The The four HSCC students are: Yaw Asante (Walnut Hills High School), Jon Carr (St. Xavier High School), Hasani Harrigan (Seven Hills High School) and Austin Murph (Seven Hills High School). These four students earned a 5th place finish (out of 46 eligible teams) during two days of the competition. Each of these students earned a $500 Jesse Bemley Scholarship as a result of their high performance.

Hasani Harrigan added to his college scholarship booty by earning a $3,125 college scholarship from Oracle. The Oracle Corporation Scholarship goes to student members pursuing careers in engineering, computer and information science, computer engineering or mathematics. Hasani is a very deserving young man who has been engaged in STEM-training from BDPA over the past three years.

Dylan Gunn is a college student member who left Cincinnati to attend North Carolina A&T University. Dylan won a $5,000 Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students. The scholarship recognizes outstanding minority students, with an interest in information technology, who make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential, and make an impact on their communities through service to others.

Another remarkable talent who shined brightly during this annual technology conference was Itobore Odje (University of Cincinnati). Itobore participated in the 1st annual BDPA Mobile Application Showcase and came away with the silver medal as well as a $5,500 college scholarship funded by State Farm.

BDPA plans to honor each of these students ... including BDPA IT Showcase participant Brian Pulliam (Sinclair Community College) ... at its 18th annual BDPA Education Banquet on Sunday, October 4, 2014 at Receptions in Fairfield, Ohio. We encourage you to join us for this wonderful event in which we have a chance to celebrate the positive accomplishments of students and volunteers in our community!

Related articles

• Cincinnati Students Prepare to Compete at National BDPA STEM-based Championships
• HSCC Student Spotlight: BDPA Cincinnati
• BDPA and Eli Lilly Offer $2,500 Scholarship to Minority Students

Where Are They Now: 1976 BDPA Officers

BDPA first year of operation was in 1976. That year was devoted to stabilizing the young organization. Highlights of the year included presentations on such topics as Computer Security, Use of Data Processing in the Securities Field, Data Processing from a Users' View, Entry Level Data Processing, and the Automated Office of the Future.

The year ended with 35 members.

The following officers were elected or appointed in June 1976:

• President - Earl Pace Jr.
• Vice President - Ralph Gordon
• Secretary - Charles Jones Jr. (deceased)
• Treasurer - Mary Ann Lowery
• Program Committee - Craig Bethea, Roy Barnes (deceased), Douglas Funderburg
• Membership Committee - James Moten (deceased), Howard James and Edward Royster

Of course, we are blessed to see Earl Pace regularly at BDPA board meetings and the annual conference. Mary Ann Lowery served as national BDPA treasurer well into the 1990s. Howard James served as BDPA Philadelphia chapter president in the 1990s. Howard is currently an entrepreneur building a business in the growing tea industry.

However, we don't see the other officers from 1976 as often. Where are they now?

Related articles

• 36-Year History of BDPA Conference Themes
• Where Are They Now? BDPA Cleveland Chapter Presidents
• Where Are They Now? BDPA Los Angeles Chapter Presidents
• BDPA Founder Earl Pace Asks, 'Is BDPA a Promise Unfulfilled?'
• The 'Butterfly Effect' and BDPA Co-Founder David Wimberly

Member on the Move: Stephanie Lampkin (Hoowenware)

It has been a few years since we've updated our blog readers on the story of Stephanie Lampkin. Stephanie embodies the BDPA motto of 'classroom to the boardroom'. She began her BDPA journey as a member of the 2000 High School Computer Competition team trained by BDPA Washington DC chapter.

Stephanie Lampkin

Her journey now continues in the 'boardroom' as the founder and chief executive officer of Hoowenware, a travel management & collaboration platform that integrates commonly used tools to create a seamless group travel experience. Stephanie recently concluded her crowdfunding campaign and now she is fundraising for equity stake in her start-up company.

Stephanie is also open to doing small web development or business development contracts as she continues to build her company. The demo for Hoowenware is live and we encourage our blog readers to check it out! Stephanie build everything herself including the logo (photoshop), video (goanimate.com) and website (zurb.foundation.com). You are encouraged to click every button and link on the demo website. There is a survey link in the upper right corner and Stephanie would love to get your candid and useful feedback.

Our understanding is that the first version of the web application will be completed by the end of this month and the Android application will be completed by the end of October. We often talk about the importance of supporting our own entrepreneurs and business owners. Well, here is a chance to do just that ... next step is yours!

You can find Stephanie (@stephaneurial) and her company (@hoowenware) on Twitter!

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Cincinnati ($2,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce it has made a $2,000 grant disbursement to the BDPA Cincinnati chapter. The chapter president, Dalric Webb, requested the funding to support 18th Annual Education Banquet to honor the students and volunteers who participated in the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program this year. BDPA Cincinnati will have a lot to celebrate as its students did quite well at the 2014 BDPA Technology Conference held earlier this month in Indianapolis.

BETF encourages all local chapters to take a moment to review the SITES funding guidelines. BETF seeks to support the 2015 SITES funding needs for all 46 local chapters. Click here to learn more about the process that Cincinnati chapter successfully used to obtain this $2,000 grant disbursement!

Rest in Peace: Wintino Jones (1958-2009)

Wintino Jones passed away in August 2009 at a Philadelphia hospital. I last saw Wintino the week before his death in Raleigh NC for the national BDPA conference. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Wintino is one of the most loyal and devoted BDPA brothers that I ever met. He never sought fanfare. You were as likely to see Wintino in the back of the room or on a lobby couch as you were to see him on stage. However, his warm and welcome greeting whenever you saw him was not to be missed or forgotten. I worked with Wintino back in the day on BDPA membership issues. He always brought a smile to my face with his humor and with his ability to 'cut to the chase'.

In recent years I would see Wintino at the annual conference. He was a wonderful bid whist partner if you were lucky enough to sit across from him. I will miss Wintino. My prayers go out to his wife, children and family.



Rest in peace Bro. Jones...

Xerox Launches 2014-15 Minority Scholarship Program

The 2014-2015 Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship will provide funding to minority students enrolled in one of the technical sciences or engineering disciplines. The scholarship amount award depends on the student's tuition balance, academic excellence and classification.

Applicants must be academic high-achievers with a GPA average of 3.0 or better and must be US citizens or visa-holding Permanent Residents of African American, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, Native Alaskan, or Hispanic descent.

Award amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000, and applicants must be enrolled as a full time undergraduate or graduate student in any of the following technical fields: Chemistry, Computing & Software Systems, Information Management, Material Science, Printing Management Science, Laser Optics, Physics, Material Science, and all forms of Engineering - including Software Engineering.

All applications must be submitted by Tuesday, September 30, 2014.

For more details, visit: http://www.xerox.com/jobs/minority-scholarships/enus.html

Grant Award: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ($1,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce that the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) agreed to a $1,000 funding grant in support of BDPA Cincinnati chapter. BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Dalric Webb partnered with BETF in early July to submit a grant proposal to CCHMC seeking funding for the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

John Scott, CCHMC community relations senior specialist wrote, "Thank you for your interest in Cincinnati Children’s. It is our pleasure to support the BDPA Cincinnati chapter SITES program with a $1,000 sponsorship. Per our guidelines, funds should go towards supporting efforts in the local Cincinnati regional community and not be used for travel expenses. We trust that this support will help disadvantaged youth further progress and learn skills associated with science, technology, engineering and math."

The chapter plans to recognize CCHMC for its support at the 18th annual BDPA Cincinnati Education Banquet scheduled to take place on October 4, 2014. That banquet will provide a venue to recognize the students, parents, volunteers and sponsors who worked so hard this year in delivery of over two dozen computer camp sessions, Mobile Application Showcase participation and an outstanding Midwest Region High School Computer Competition and IT Showcase. The funding helps to continue the good works of BDPA in the greater Cincinnati area.

We encourage all 46 local BDPA chapters to reach out to BETF if they need grant or funding support! BETF exists to help shine the spotlight on BDPA programs, scholarships and services. The more we work together ... the more funds we can place into the mix on a local, regional and national level.

Related articles

• Message from BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President
• Cincinnati.com, 1/6/2014 (Hadiya Harrigan)
• Cincinnati.com, 9/11/2013 (Clarence Larcarte)

Grant Proposal: Chichester duPont Foundation ($22,654)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA New York to submit a grant proposal to the Chichester duPont Foundation seeking $22,654 funding for the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The objective of our SITES program in the New York area is to effectively use technology to stimulate and sustain the interest of young people in science and technology. BDPA New York chapter is actively working to address the technology disparity within our minority communities and close the gap towards improving the lives of those underserved in the areas where we live and work.

HSCC Team (NY, 2012)

This is the first joint grant proposal BETF has worked with BDPA New York chapter president Tyrone McKinney. However, we look forward to working with Tyrone and his leadership team to obtain all the funding that they need to support their 2015 SITES program. We encourage the other 45 local BDPA chapters to take a moment to review available BETF grant and funding support. We also encourage those of you who know of the good works being done by BDPA to make a secure online donation in support of our programs, scholarships and services!

In the meantime, wish us luck with the folks at the Chichester duPont Foundation!

Related articles

• PR.com, 6/13/2013 (BDPA New York)
• BDPA New York Receives Award at the 2013 National Conference
• BDPA New York Receives Multiple Awards at the 2012 National Conference