Message from Detroit Chapter President

My first BDPA experience occurred in the Detroit chapter. I served as a chapter program committee chairperson under the chapter leadership of Diane Davis. Many years later I worked to bring the annual national BDPA technology conference to Detroit MI. - Wayne Hicks

BDPA Detroit chapter president Anquanette Clegg shared her post conference thoughts with her stakeholders in the message below:

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At the 31st annual National BDPA Technology Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, Compuware Corporation received an award for "Best Companies for Blacks In Technology".


Compuware also financially supported BDPA Detroit's Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) Program. With the funding, Detroit was able to send four (4) students (Matthew Clark, Jourdan West, Daniel Rothchild, and Darryn Brundage-Forrest) to participate in a Web Design competition. This year there were 23 teams, and Detroit's HSCC Team won 2nd Place. The Jesse Bemley Scholarship goes to the top five high school student teams competing in the annual national HSCC championships. The top five teams are those that received the highest team scores in the three phases of the HSCC competition (Oral, Written, and Programming competitions). Each member on the Detroit Team will receive a Bemley Scholarship award of $2,000 for college from the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF).

Thanks to all the members who volunteered your time for the program. Many of you spent countless hours interviewing and training students and helping with the local mock competition. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed and they are appreciated! A SPECIAL thanks goes out to Tonji Zimmerman, Detroit's HSCC Coordinator and Trainer. She's given up practically all of her Saturdays for 5 months, to train the students and her hard work truly shined at the Conference.

While the Chapter can't repay anyone for their efforts, I hope you can find comfort in the great achievement of the Detroit Team.

Last but not least thanks to Renee Kent who was the student's chaperone this year!

Congrats to Detroit's Board of Director's and Members! At the Awards Gala the Detroit Chapter was the 2nd runner-up for the Chapter of the Year award! The National BDPA Awards Program provides a means to recognize individual chapters and members for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the mission and objectives of the National organization.

Thanks to the chapter Board of Directors for all of your support. A SPECIAL thanks goes to Tamika Smith (Diva Designs) for her work in preparing and submitting the Award Booklet. I, as Chapter President, have never been so proud to represent an organization of leaders who have effortlessley worked on behalf of this great Chapter.

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

SAVE THE DATES

• September 10th at 7:00 PM - Board of Director's meeting - If you are interested in attending you must send an email to detroit-secretary@bdpa-detroit.org.
• September 17th at 6:30 PM at Tech Town - Information Exchange Meeting - Further details will be sent soon.
• November 12th - Detroit's 1st Technology and Education Banquet - Details will be sent soon!

We are still looking for volunteers to join the 2010 Board of Director's! If you are interested in serving, please contact chapter president-elect Markita Wadley.

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It goes without saying that I have a soft spot in my heart for BDPA Detroit chapter. As such, it feels great to know that we will be issuing $2,000 Bemley Scholarships to the young men that represented Detroit chapter at the recent national high school computer competition (HSCC) held in Raleigh NC. However, we need some grassroots support from BETF-Blog readers if we hope to have this same level of Bemley Scholarships in 2010. Won't you consider making a secure online donation in support of our efforts?

President Profile: BDPA Detroit Chapter (Anquanette Clegg)

Anquanette Clegg, President
BDPA Detroit Chapter

Address: 440 Burroughs Street
Detroit, MI 48202
Phone: (313) 438-3519
Website: http://www.bdpa-detroit.org/
Blog: http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/

Anquanette Clegg is a Process Improvement Project Manager and Software Technical Support Analyst at Compuware Corporation, where she supports a networking solutions product and lead product and projects implemented to improve product deliverables. She has been at Compuware since 2000.

Anquanette has been an IT Professional for more than 10 years. She started her career at Federal Mogul serving as a Systems Supervisor providing technical support for 150 systems and supervision for a team of 25 employees and also served as Senior Systems Analyst examining new software to improve current technology. One of her career highlights include leading the Y2K Customer Service Information Technology project ensuring all customer service systems were properly tested and able to handle the date change 1/1/2000.

She is the founder of a young women’s mentoring group, STIC (Sistas Trusting In Christ), dealing with spiritual matters and academic matters to aid with career decisions. The organization’s mission is to equip young women with the necessary tools to advance spiritually and professionally.

Anquanette obtained a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence Technological University where she served as a Board member for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). One of her accomplishments, include helping implement an academic reward system that praised students for maintaining a 3.0 GPA Average and also organized a Study System to help those students to maintain a healthy grade average.

In 2006, she obtained a Project Management Professionals (PMP) from Project Management Institute.

"My goal is to motivate and lead the Detroit Chapter, into one cohesive unit that uses their professional talents to fulfill the mission and vision. The BDPA Detroit Chapter will set the tone for all chapters throughout BDPA. I am a hard worker, love challenges, teachable, determined, self motivated, goal-oriented, and believe in the power of change."

Motto: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13