BDPA Vice President Teresa Williams Named Top Ten Business Women of the Year

Teresa Williams

The American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) named Teresa Williams, as the 2017 American Business Woman of ABWA.  ABWA is a national program that honors 10 outstanding members for achieving excellence in career, education and community involvement. From those 10 honorees, one is selected to represent the Association, and all workingwomen, as the American Business Woman of ABWA.

“Top Ten candidates are a paradigm for ABWA members who strive for excellence in their careers, their communities, and in the Association,” says René Street, ABWA Executive Director. “It was a privilege to recognize these outstanding women this year at the National Women’s Leadership Conference in Chattanooga, TN and to gain inspiration from their accomplishments.”

Teresa is a Program Manager at NASCO, Inc. Teresa has over 30 years of experience in the Technology field. She joined NASCO in 2009 as a Sr. Project Manager and has held various leadership positions. In her current role as Program Manager, Teresa reports directly to David Weeks, NASCO’s Chief Technology Officer. Teresa is responsible for the overall program/project management & financial administration for the IT Strategy, IT Architecture, IT Data Management, & Information Security teams.

Teresa received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Behavioral Science from National Louis University and a Master of Science in Technology Management from Mercer University. She is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Teresa is a 25-year member of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) and is a member of Pyramid Chapter, Atlanta, GA. She has served the association in many local chapter leadership roles including chapter president of Hidden Hills Chapter and Chairman of the Atlanta Area Council. She served on the 2002-2004 National Board of Directors as District I Vice President and National Secretary-Treasurer. She is currently the Atlanta Area Council 2016 Woman of the Year.

“To be selected as one of the 2017 Top Ten Business Women of ABWA is definitely an honor. When I joined ABWA in 1991, I was looking for opportunities to grow my professional leadership skills and to meet other like-minded women”, states Teresa.

ABWA provides women with a safe place to grow their leadership & team-building skills and provides opportunities to step out of your comfort zone. The members of ABWA champion each other which results in producing women leaders who are confident, resilient, and take the concept of women leaders “Leading In” seriously.

Teresa is currently the VP-Member Services for National BDPA. In the past, Teresa has been South Region Vice President since 2012 and she served as BDPA Atlanta chapter president in 2008-2009.

Joshua Silas Uses his Monsanto Scholarship at Tuskegee University

Joshua Silas * Tuskegee University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Monsanto awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to four (4) students. One of those students is Joshua Silas of Tuskegee University.

We asked Joshua Silas to share his thoughts on BDPA.

"I participated in STEM summer programs at Tougaloo College and Lawson State Community College. Also, I attended a Summer Finance program at The University of Alabama-Birmingham. I have a passion for mathematics and sciences, especially physics. I am an analytical and critical thinker, who possesses strong leadership abilities. In addition to these qualities and skills, I am motivated and hard working. These attributes have aided me in accumulating a long list of academic honors and achievements.

I have demonstrated excellent leadership skills and is an active participant in academics, curricular activities, and the community. My curricular activities involved track, choir, scholar’s bowl and math team. I participated in service projects held by Habitat for Humanity, which is a charity that provides refurbished homes to those who cannot afford them.  The Relay for Life is a foundation that helps raise monies for cancer research and treatment in order to defeat the disease. I provided musical services for the foundation fundraiser held at Chelsea High School. The Village Creek Society is geared toward improving the environment within the 44 miles of its creek location that benefits residence, businesses, schools, and churches in its watershed.  The Fellowship House is a facility in Birmingham, AL that rehabilitates substance abusers.  In addition, I assisted fellow classmates with projects, homework assignments, and tutored students in math and science, upon request. This experience has given me the opportunity to learn from others, give back, and assists with important causes.

I desire to study electrical engineering. I first became interested in engineering when I visited E-day at Auburn University. I toured the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and saw the robots that were created and programmed by students. In that moment, I decided I wanted to study, research and potentially design robots. In addition, I have a very keen interest in developing video game consoles. Both of my interests incorporate physics and mathematics. I selected this major because I believe it will provide me the overall knowledge to assist me in pursuing my interests.

After high school graduation, I entered the FASTREC program at Tuskegee University. FASTREC is a pre-college summer session held for eight weeks that strengthened my knowledge and study skills in math and engineering.

I plan to pursue a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and minor in computer science at Tuskegee University. The Engineering program will offer a vast amount of valuable information that will provide me an educational experience that will enhance my career opportunities. As I continue my undergraduate studies, I will participate in internships or co-op opportunities to apply my learned skills. Thus, providing me a competitive advantage in the job market. Upon completion of undergraduate, I will pursue a master's degree and doctorate in Engineering, while maintaining a job at a consumer electronics company that will provide me experience in robotics and hardware. With enhanced knowledge and skills, I plan to pursue a lucrative career that will allow me to innovate and experiment with new ideas in the electrical engineering field."

Joshua enjoyed the BDPA Mobile Application Showcase. The Showcase was a nationwide competition that displayed applications created by students on their mobile devices. He hopes to participate in this Showcase in coming years.

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented student a winner of the Monsanto Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Joshua's career as he seeks to advance in the technology industry!

BDPA Honors Top Four PACEsetters

Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) honored and recognized four of America’s top and talented individuals at the 38th Annual National Technology Conference Gala at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia with an Individual PACEsetter Award.

Angie Jones received top recognition in Career Achievement as an experienced professional who achieved significant career accomplishments and made contributions throughout her career.  

Jacqueline Sanders-Blackman

Jacqueline Sanders-Blackman (Technology Expresso) and Ashley Newly received the Community Service recognition for significant demonstration by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities in which they reside.

And Stephanie Lampkin (CEO, Blendoor) received the Technology Excellence award for pioneering new or leveraging existing technology to solve a critical industry, business or technical problem.

Winners received a commemorative gift, a complimentary one-year BDPA membership and featured recognition among their peers as a BDPA Individual PACEsetter Award winner.  For more details on the BDPA corporate sponsorship program, contact the corporate sales support team at (301) 584-3135 ext. 108 or corpsales@bdpa.org.

Take Five: Tyrone McKinney (BDPA New York)

BDPA provides its members with unique opportunities to develop leadership skills in a comforting environment. One person who has taken full advantage of the career-building opportunities in BDPA is Tyrone McKinney. Tyrone is currently serving as president of BDPA New York ... one of the largest chapters in the nation!

We recently asked Tyrone to participate in our Take Five interview series.

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Tyrone McKinney

1. How did you get involved with BDPA? I was asked to do an UNIX overview in 2000.
2. What is your favorite part of working with BDPA? Educating our community on new and emerging technologies.
3. What future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA? I would like to see more new media and emerging technology companies support BDPA.
4. Why should someone pay $100 membership dues to join BDPA? Your joining a like-minded community of technology enthusiasts and professionals.
5. Any advice for people considering a donation to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF)? Your donation will help to insure that more of our youngsters get involved in technology careers.

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I encourage all of our readers to help Tyrone grow the programs, scholarships and services offered by BDPA New York chapter. One immediate way you can support is through a secure online donation to the chapter's HSCC scholarship program!

2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Chicago. We had 19 teams competing in 2011. The 2011 HSCC Champion were from BDPA Southern Minnesota and they earned $1,500 Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for attending college. They beat out the student members from BDPA Detroit and BDPA Atlanta.

The winning HSCC team from Rochester MN included: Zakaria Ahmed, Hassan Hassan, Daniel Sheppard, Herchran Singh and Adwait Walimbe.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to note that we provided financial support to over half of the HSCC teams that competed this year ... including the Bemley Scholarshps provided to the top five (5) performing chapters in the national HSCC championships.

Here are the rankings for all 19 teams that competed in 2011 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

2011 Southern Minnesota HSCC Team

1. Southern Minnesota ($1,500 Bemley Scholarship for each student)
2. Detroit ($1,000 each)
3. Columbus ($500 each)
4. Atlanta ($500 each)
5. Twin Cities ($500 each)
6. Washington DC
7. St. Louis
8. Indianapolis
9. New Jersey
10. Chicago
11. Charlotte
12. Richmond
13. Cincinnati
14. Los Angeles
15. Middle Tennessee
16. Triangle
17. Greater Columbia
18. Philadelphia
19. Dallas

Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

Norman Phillips Wins 2015 BDPA Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution

Norman Phillips * Epsilon Award Winner

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across three categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Outstanding Technical Contribution. This honor is reserved for individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical industry, business or technical problem.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Norman Phillips has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution. His nomination was submitted by Information Technology manager Babacar Guisse (Procter & Gamble). He wrote,

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Norman received the P&G Global Business Services Excellence Award for his work as the Lead Architect for Video Collaboration Services, which delivered $70M in travel savings. He is also the Technical Lead on the effort to move P&G to the cloud and a member of the Design Team for the 'Bring Your Own PC' solution. Norman has established his equity as the go-to technical expert for any Innovation and technical challenge.

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BDPA is very proud to honor the works of Norman Phillips! We are glad that he won this 2015 Epsilon Award!

Kevin Rabinovich Uses His Zycron Scholarship at Clemson University

Kevin Rabinovich * Clemson University

Kevin Rabinovich has been a long-time member of the BDPA Greater Columbia chapter. Kevin is a pianist, designer, developer, and director of TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC. He's passionate about ideas, design, and coding. He founded TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC, Columbia's by-youth, for-youth conference in 2011, which has attracted over 500 attendees and over 30 speakers from around the world in total.

Kevin has been playing piano since 5 years old. He was in the A. C. Flora High School jazz band and accompanies school chorus concerts and musicals. He led the FalconProgramming club at his high school, teaching club members about programming and game and product design. He also directs the school-wide Hour of Code, in which students are introduced to programming through a game created by FalconProgramming. Kevin was also part of CodeDay Columbia, a 24-hour hackathon for Columbia's high school and college students.

Kevin wrote, “My most memorable BDPA moment was when my team (Greater Columbia) got second place at the national High School Computer Competition championship. It was very rewarding, because all of our team’s hard work and preparation had finally paid off, and we were happy to beat the team who had previously beat so many others by showing them the power of teamwork and collaboration.”

Participating in BDPA has allowed him to gain access to a variety of scholarships, which are very relevant to his chosen field in technology. Kevin majors in architecture at Clemson University. His career goal is to become an MLG interaction designer.

Andre Garner Earns 2016 Lilly Scholarship for University of Illinois

Andre Garner * University of Illinois

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with Eli Lilly & Company to confirm Andre Garner as a winner of the 10th annual Eli Lilly & Company Scholarship for BDPA Students. There were three winners of this scholarship. Andre is an outstanding person to win this prestigious scholarship.

Andre Garner was asked to share his story with us. He wrote,

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"As a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I look forward to studying computer science at one of the nation’s top preparatory schools for aspiring technology innovators. In addition to my interest in gaming, I am particularly interested in helping to expand the reach of high technology to include more people and communities often left out of this exciting area.

In June of 2016, I graduated from Chicago’s Lindblom Math & Science Academy after four-years of academic and social rigor that helped to expand my knowledge of technology, math, science, language, culture and history among other areas. During my Lindblom experience, I was introduced to a diverse cross section of people and experiences. I competed in game design competitions and conferences. I was exposed to Asian, Pacific Island, Caribbean, Latin and Persian Gulf food, art and cultures. Most importantly, my interest was piqued about the vast world of possibilities beyond my home community and the world I had known my entire life.

With technology and gaming being of particular interest to me, I have intentionally sought to expand my knowledge of the unfamiliar and remain open to the limitless possibilities that might only be realized through the further globalization of technology and innovation.

With that in mind, I have served as a volunteer with a number of organizations, including a local church-based food pantry, an annual Thanksgiving food give-a-way organized by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and leveraging my technology skills in helping an organization created to honor the 100th Anniversary of the cultural movement that brought the families of both my parents to Chicago from the Deep South, The Great Migration. I also spent three years as a volunteer member of the computer maintenance and repair team overseeing technology equipment throughout the campus at my high school.

In planning for college, I sought admission to schools with strong computer science and technology programs to help me toward my goal of developing cutting-edge gaming products while working with youth in underserved communities to become proficient in coding and technology applications. My most recent summer internship experience with Chicago’s Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation’s Urban Tech Squad helped further define my desire to lead and develop engaging social and academic programs for youth.

Just a few months ago, I was encouraged by family members and mentors with the Urban Tech Squad to sign-up for a student membership with the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). Through BDPA, I look forward to working with seasoned professionals in the technology arena to further plan both my career and my desire to develop opportunities in technology in communities throughout my home town of Chicago and other places around the world in need of illumination from the light of technology."

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Andre is a remarkable young man with great skills. BDPA looks forward to following his career as he progresses through college and on into his career!

Jared Orange Uses Wanda Everett Scholarship at Missouri University of Science and Technology

Jared Orange * Wanda Everett Scholar

Daugherty Business Solutions offered the first annual Wanda Everett Scholarship this year to two students. One of the scholars is Jared Orange who plans to use his scholarship as a student at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Jared is was born and raised in St. Louis. He is a graduate of Westminster Christian Academy and has been a BDPA St. Louis member for the past couple of years. He competed in the 2015 National BDPA High School Computer Competition and has a deep interest in robotics and drone technology. His goal is to build robotic devices for people with damaged limbs.

Jared was selected for this scholarship based on his strong high school academic record, his drive to learn the IT profession with electives and internships, and his essay. Jared will be starting as a freshman at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

This is our first time awarding the Wanda Everett scholarship. Jared is a remarkable young man. BDPA looks forward to following his career as he progresses through college and into his career!

Sharon Shaw Wins 2015 BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for people who have significant demonstration, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Sharon Shaw has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Community Service. She was a protocol officer for the Navy Information Dominance Forces. Her nomination was submitted by Lt. Duane Motley, commander, US Naval Forces. He wrote,

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"Ms. Shaw’s impressive managerial capability, positive leadership, and exception attitude propel her as a role model for military, civilian, and youths and capture the true spirit of community service. She is a superb leader who sets the standards that inspire and motivate peers and subordinates to excel.

Since 2000, she has unselfishly led NCTAMS LANT’s award winning (local and federal level) Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) mentoring program that promotes stability by providing 9-12 year olds the life skills necessary to deter at-risk behaviors associated with substance abuse, gangs, and other negative influences. DEFY develops youth through drug education, leadership, character development, positive role model mentoring, and community outreach to enhance quality of life for military personnel and their families. Each year 90+ youth participants and 120 mentors, guest speakers, and community leaders spent over 5,250 hours mentoring the kids. Organized volunteers to participate in three community relations events to promote DEFY.

Additionally, she is the Interim First Vice President and Second Vice President of the Newport News-Hampton Chapter of the Continental Societies, an organization dedicated to creating environments that empower children to have access to quality and appropriate opportunities to reach their optimal potential. Ms. Shaw and the Continentals spent over 3,000 raising funds for scholarships (10 $1000 scholarships); supported the Program for Educating Exception Preschoolers providing monthly donations of diapers, underwear, socks and soap powder to local children; donated 11 boxes of diapers, underwear, and socks; partnered with the Newport News Police Department and Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board to provide book bags and school supplies to 2,000 children; partnered with the Ridley Circle After School Program to implement an after-school program, provide school supplies and backpacks, and formed a reading circle; and organized a Career Pathways initiative for the Newport News Public School system to expose students to grade-appropriate career development experiences.

Sharon personally adopted a homeless family of six. She assisted them in search for a home and took it upon herself to become a mentor to the 9, 10, and 13 year old children."

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BDPA is very proud to honor the works of Sharon Shaw! We are glad that she won this 2015 Epsilon Award!

2014 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

BDPA Washington DC HSCC Team & Coach

The 2014 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Indianapolis. We had 18 teams competing in 2014. The two-day competition was fierce and we had a new champion from Washington DC! The 2014 HSCC Champion were from BDPA Washington DC and they earned HP laptops and a $2,000 Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for attending college. They beat out the scrappy team from BDPA Greater Columbia and the perennial high-ranking team from BDPA Southern Minnesota.

The winning team from Washington DC included Lauren Battle, Beleicia Bullock, Zion Emanuel, Johnathan Legrant and Alex Li.

Here are the rankings for all 18 teams that competed in 2014 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

1. Washington DC ($2,000 Bemley Scholarship for each student)
2. Greater Columbia ($1,500 each)
3. Southern Minnesota ($1,000 each)
4. Atlanta ($500 each)
5. Cincinnati
6. Middle Tennessee
7. Chicago
8. New York
9. St Louis
10. Twin Cities
11. Indianapolis
12. Central Illinois
13. Triangle
14. Milwaukee
15. Dallas
16. New Jersey
17. Detroit
18. Charlotte

Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

Long Story Short: Mike Williams (National BDPA President)

Mike A. Williams * National BDPA President

Mike A. Williams is ending his first year as National BDPA president. He is an experienced senior information technology executive who has over twenty-nine years of technology management and executive experience. Williams has been employed by Fortune 500 companies in the financial services, insurance, outsourcing and transportation and logistics industries.

Williams has used his diverse technology, process, and business skills to transform and optimize operations within internal technology teams and IT Outsourcing client organizations. He has also held P&L responsibilities and lead strategy and product develop initiatives that provided value-added services to clients and increased revenue and earnings within their respective lines of business.

Williams is a passionate supporter and participate in local and national nonprofit organizations. Through his foundation Thinknext, Williams and his team enable people and organizations with great ideas to do amazing things to serve their communities. Williams has a passion for developing young professionals, enabling and advising new community organizations, and assisting aspiring entrepreneurs.

Williams serves as the National President of BDPA, Founder and Chairman of the Thinknext Foundation, and member of Association of Black Foundation Executives, an organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Williams is also a published author, speaker, mentor and passionate supporter and advocate of Millennials in the technology industry.

This blog wanted to get a more personal look into the personality of this rising BDPA leader. We asked Mike to give brief answers to some odd questions. We hope you enjoy this new feature that we simply call, 'Long Story Short...'

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Mike and his daughter!

1. Craziest thing you've ever done? Snorkeling when I couldn't even swim
2. Favorite food you'd take with you on a desert island? Shrimp, Fish and any a variety of fruits (Island may provide those) but throw in some gummies bears
3. Favorite way to exercise? Lifting weights
4. Least favorite chore? Folding clothes
5. Simple things that make you happiest? My daughter's smile and the hugs and kisses she gives me (both physical and virtual ones when we are on the phone)
6. Who You'd Like to Meet? Robert Smith of Vista Equity Partners

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You can follow Mike on Twitter: @itMikeWilliams

Albert Appouh Uses his Rackspace Scholarship at Rutgers University

Albert Appouh * Rutgers University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Rackspace awarded a $1,000 college scholarship to two (2) students. One of those students is Albert Appouh of Rutgers University. Rackspace is the #1 managed cloud company, helps businesses tap the power of cloud computing without the complexity and cost of managing it on their own.

Albert recently joined our BDPA New Jersey chapter. When asked to share his thoughts on being a Johnson & Johnson scholar, Albert wrote,

I was born into a disadvantaged family in Newark, New Jersey. In my late teens, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder combined with schizophrenia and I have been institutionalized twice in my life due to these afflictions. In spite of my race, low income status, and mental disabilities, I found the best way to overcome these challenges was to immerse myself in my studies and to stay active in my community by volunteering and taking on leadership responsibilities. I maintained excellent grades throughout school, became a student leader for various extracurricular activities and volunteered regularly with organizations within my community. By taking the initiative to become a leader, and by having confidence in myself to succeed in ay endeavor I chose to take, I found that not only was I capable of being an excellent steward of resources, people and responsibility, but that I had a passion for it.

If I could be described in three words, they would be: ambitious, hard-working, and motivated. As an applied math, computer science, and economics triple major at Rutgers University with career aspirations in the IT industry, I am a very open-minded and creative person who is always eager to learn. Meeting new people and making connections fill me with such satisfaction. I am always working on improving myself in practically every aspect of my life, whether it be my personality, my leadership skills, or my etiquette. As much as I can capable of accomplishing things on my own, I work best as a team player. I always take the initiative and accept the responsibilities of in any position I’m given.

When asked about his relationship with BDPA, Albert wrote,

Being a member of Black Data Processing Associates has introduced me to a diverse network of qualified STEM professionals who can share their expertise and keep me (and other members, of course) up-to-date on business opportunities in the industry. In addition, the organization’s career development services have helped me develop and enhance my professional skills in order to increase my value in the eyes of prospective companies. Overall, being a member of BDPA has helped me learn more about technology, has improved my technical abilities, has introduced me to an experienced group of role models, and has opened doors leading to employment.

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented technology student on board as both a member and as winner of the Rackspace Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Albert's career as he seeks to advance in the technology industry!

Evelyn White Uses Wanda Everett Scholarship at Webster University

Evelyn White * Webster University

Daugherty Business Solutions offered the first annual Wanda Everett Scholarship this year to two students. One of the scholars is Evelyn White who plans to use her scholarship as a graduate student at Webster University.

Evelyn White graduated from Harris-Stowe State University, a Historically Black College and University located in St. Louis, Missouri. She is working towards her degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) and plans to pursue her master’s in Cyber Security after graduation.

She recently completed an internship with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a virtual intern. White’s internship responsibilities included creating a dashboard for identifying mission critical metrics and isolating instances where the metrics were out of compliance. Which resulted in increased visibility, transparency and usability by both senior leadership and agency’s customers at more than 4,500 locations nationwide and abroad. Evelyn’s internship was provided through the Thurgood Marshall College Scholarship Fund where she is a Leadership Institute participant.

Last summer she was selected to participate in Harris-Stowe State University’s first U.S. Exchange Foundation Chinese Development Program. The program objectives were to provide American students with an opportunity to experience the Chinese language, history, culture and its modern society.

Evelyn is an active campus leader and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success Organization, a 2014 inductee to the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, a member of the Vice President’s Academic Honors Society, the Regional Business Council’s Higher Education Collaboration Mentor Network Program, the HBCU Student of Tomorrow China Delegation, a participant in the Annual Cox Automotive HBCU Summit, and a proud member of Harris-Stowe’s Coder’s Club.

This is our first time awarding a scholarship to a college student who plans to study for her graduate degree. Evelyn is a remarkable young woman. BDPA looks forward to following her career as she progresses through her graduate education at Webster University and on into her career!

Lauren Ravenell Earns 2016 Lilly Scholarship for Ball State University

Lauren Ravenell * Ball State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with Eli Lilly & Company to confirm Lauren Ravenell as a winner of the 10th annual Eli Lilly & Company Scholarship for BDPA Students. There were three winners of this scholarship. Lauren is a wonderful person to win this prestigious scholarship.

During high school Lauren was a varsity athlete in Track and Field and Golf. She was also involved in various extracurricular activities such as Student Government and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was also on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team for BDPA Indianapolis chapter throughout her four years of high school. She graduated from Westfield High School with a 3.667 GPA and over one hundred hours of community service.

Now she is a sophomore at Ball State University, majoring in Telecommunications with a minor in Computer Science and Spanish. She finished her freshman year at Ball State on the Dean’s List. She was a member of the Black Student Association and Excellence in Leadership. She also enjoyed her time on a student-driven cooking show. This was one of her favorite experiences because Lauren was able to work behind the scenes of a production and learn from my peers as well as mentors. Now, Lauren is a participant in the PhD Pathways Mentoring Program. Upon graduation, she plans to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration and afterwards she will seek a PhD.

We asked for Lauren to share her thoughts on BDPA:

Lauren at the IT Showcase

"This past year I participated in the IT Showcase at the 2016 BDPA Technology Conference. In previous years I was a member of the Indianapolis Chapter HSCC Team. The transition from the high school program to the college level program created many opportunities for growth. From participating in the Showcase I was able to gain more experience in research and presentation skills. During the conference I was able to network, take more advantage of the career fair and gain interview experience. The career fair also granted me with increased opportunities for internships.

Lauren is a remarkable young woman. BDPA looks forward to following her career as she progresses through college and on into her career! You can follow Lauren on Twitter: @lauren_ravenell.

Happy Birthday Gina Billings!

Join us in wishing a Happy Birthday to past national BDPA president Gina Billings! Gina served on the national BDPA board of directors from 2002-2009 as BDPA Cincinnati chapter president, national president-elect, national president and immediate past president. Gina is a hard working BDPA leader with an expertise in finances, having served for ten years as the chief financial officer for the BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

Much of my success in BDPA is due to the support of Gina. In September 1998, Gina led an effort with Brenda Hogan, Tina Welch, Marilyn Wilson and myself to rejuvenate BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

The five of us met weekly for the remainder of 1998 putting together the organizational plans and goals for 1999. BDPA Cincinnati chapter went public in January 1999 with our first program meeting in over two years. There were approximately a dozen guests at that initial program meeting and we ended the month with six financially current members.

It's been all good since that day. The chapter has been winning awards at the national level, including 4-time Chapter of the Year (2001-2002, 2004, 2006) and 5-time Runner Up Chapter of the Year (2000, 2005, 2007-2009). Gina had the vision to be a founder of the chapter in 1989 and her vision positively impacted hundreds of students, IT professionals and entrepreneurs in the greater Cincinnati area ever since.


Gina will be a member of the BDPA Hall of Fame at some point in the future. For now, we honor her here in cyberspace. Happy Birthday Gina!

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, September 2016)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA Cincinnati remains the #1 BDPA chapter in the nation.   The chapter ... led by its president,  Shawnda Peterson ... continues to amaze others by its consistent growth.   It will be interesting to see if the chapter can continue growing towards the next milestone of having 300 members this year.

We continue to operate under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.   Her team now includes Chad White (Dallas) and Judaea Lane (Memphis).  Her efforts have allowed BDPA to continue to grow.   She realizes that we need to work hard to keep membership growth and retention higher.

Loraine Stewart-David * BDPA Detroit President

BDPA Detroit was the fastest growing chapter in the nation last month.   It is now the 2nd largest chapter in September 2016.  The chapter is under the leadership of its president, Loraine Stewart-David.  There are a number of positive aspects of this chapter including its willingness to meet on a monthly basis at a local technology center. It is no accident that active efforts within a local BDPA chapter results in more members ... more members results in more membership dues ... which makes it easier to implement more consistent and effect programs and services. How are things going in your local chapter?

BDPA believes 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. Cincinnati - president, Shawnda Peterson
2. Detroit - president, Loraine Stewart-David
   
3. Atlanta - president, Keith Humphrey
   
4. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush 
5. Indianapolis - president, Terry Morris
   
6. Philadelphia - president, Cedric Edwards
7. Milwaukee - president, Carmen Giles
8.  Washington DC - president, Perry Carter
   
9. New York - president, Tyrone McKinney
10. Triangle - president, Carl Hill 

The number of chapters now belonging to the 'BDPA Century Club' currently stands at four.  The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago 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.

National president Mike Williams recently touted the value that organizational re-branding has made on BDPA.  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?

Sandra Scott Wins BDPA Epsilon Award for Community Service

Sandra Scott * Epsilon Award

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members. One of the categories is Career Achievement. This honor is reserved for people who have significant demonstration, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside.

BDPA is pleased to announce that Sandra Scott has won the 2015 Epsilon Award for Community Service. Her nomination was submitted by Carmen Giles, manager, MillerCoors. She wrote,

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter leadership team believes that Sandra Scott is a BDPA Epsilon Award Winner and here are reasons why:

Sandra Scott is an outstanding individual and an enormous assess to the Milwaukee Community. She has been a key player in many areas of the Milwaukee Community such as Hansberry Sands Theatre Company, MillerCoors – Milwaukee Tutorial Program, NAACP, Milwaukee County Cultural Artistic & Musical Programming Advisory Council and the rejuvenation of the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter.

Sandra is the CEO and founder of the Scott Institute of Learning. She has worked with a number of Milwaukee Public Schools to improve academic achievement. Her main goal is to educate students how to manage, embrace, and understand such topics as Conflict, Critical Thinking, and Financial Literacy. Her program has touched so many students’ lives and they are highly encouraged to join the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter HSCC program. Under her program, students have mastered the art of NASDAQ Stock purchasing and selling.

Under Sandra’s leadership Hansberry-Sands Theatre Company has given numerous Milwaukee youths an opportunity to display their talent in acting and production director roles. She provided strategic direction, vision, bias for action, and motivating leadership. Hansberry-Sands Company was the only Black theatre company in Milwaukee for many years. Sandra and her team received numerous acknowledgments from the Mayor of Milwaukee, local media, and corporations.

Under Sandra’s leadership, the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter has expanded its membership and student recognition in the City of Milwaukee. She played a significant role preparing the Milwaukee students attendance at the 2014 BDPA National Technology Conference. This was the first time that the BDPA Milwaukee Chapter had students attend the conference. BDPA Milwaukee Chapter success is contributed to Sandra Scott passion for successful results.

Alston Clark Uses His Zycron Scholarship at Howard University

Alston Clark * Howard University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that Zycron awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to five (5) students. One of those students is Alston Clark of Howard University.  Zycron is an international information technology services and solutions firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 1991, Zycron has offered IT solutions to a broad client base, and today is the primary provider for numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Alston loves working on difficult problems and relating abstract concepts into realistic solutions. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Alston developed a love for science and technology at an early age. Currently a computer science major at Howard University, Alston enjoys finding ways to use technology to help positive social causes. During his free time, Alston can be found playing guitar or exploring the city with this brothers and sister. After college, Alston plans on working in industry for a number of years as a software engineer.

When asked to share his thoughts on being a Zycron scholar, Alston wrote,

"During my freshman year in high school, I participated in BDPA High School Computer Competition. This was my first experience with coding and it opened my eyes to new possibilities. My instructor challenged myself and my teammates to be greater. I will never forget his class nor his advice. Being a member of the BDPA has benefited me in high school, and continues to help me reach my goals in college. I am extremely grateful for this organization."

BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented student on board as winner of the Zycron Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Alston's career as he seeks to advance in the technology industry!

Adrienne Nelson Earns 2016 Lilly Scholarship for Florida A&M University

Adrienne Nelson (FAMU)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with Eli Lilly & Company to confirm Adrienne Nelson as a winner of the 10th annual Eli Lilly & Company Scholarship for BDPA students. Adrienne is a wonderful person to win this prestigious scholarship.

Adrienne is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. Adrienne is a Student Ambassador for the Florida Information Technology Career Alliance where she works on projects supporting the computer science, information technology and information systems programs for Florida A&M. Additionally, Adrienne is a Learning Assistant providing instructional aid during the semester to enhance the learning process for IT students. Adrienne also serves as a 4-H Youth Camp Counselor and Adult Leader assisting 4-H officers during camp programs and encouraging youth to participate in 4-H.

We asked Adrienne to share her thoughts on BDPA,

"Being able to participate in the 2016 National BDPA Conference has been an unforgettable experience. It has cause unmeasurable growth professionally and intellectually throughout the many opportunities that this conference allowed. I not only placed in the BDPA IT Showcase for college participants but I also had the opportunity to speak with other companies for internship opportunities, leading to further networking and even interviews. I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and I look forward to attending future BDPA events."

Adrienne is a remarkable young woman. BDPA looks forward to following her career as she progresses through college and on into her career in the IT industry! You can follow Adrienne on Twitter: @AKA_Nelson