Grant Declination * Texas Instruments Foundation (Houston)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Houston chapter learned that our $7,500 grant proposal was declined by the Texas Instruments Foundation. We were seeking funds for the 2016 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program being implemented this year by the chapter.

The declination letter read as follows:

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Wayne

Thank you for submitting your proposal to Texas Instruments. We enjoyed learning about your organization and your work. While we appreciate the value and importance of your mission, we regret that we are unable to fund your request for support at this time.

We would like to respond affirmatively to all requests, however, we receive far more proposals than can possibly be supported. We appreciate the thought and time that went into the development of your application, and we wish you success in accomplishing your program goals.

Sincerely,
Andy Smith, Executive Director
Texas Instruments Foundation

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BETF will continue to seek out funds for our BDPA Houston chapter!

BDPA iRadio Show: May 14, 2013 (Khalia Braswell, Craig Brown and Derrick Brown)

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!

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guests on the May 14th show:

Khalia Braswell - 2007 HSCC Alumni, BDPA Charlotte Chapter - Khalia competed in the 2007 national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship as a member of the team trained by BDPA Charlotte chapter. Her team finished in 6th place. Khalia earned a Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students in 2008. She used that scholarship to help offset the costs for college studies at North Carolina State University (NCSU). She plans to graduate with a Computer Science degree in 2013. She can share some excellent insights in the impact that BDPA had on her college and career choices. It is worth noting that BDPA and Eli Lilly are accepting applications for the 2013 Eli Lilly Scholarship right now. Also, Khalia was recently featured for her work at NCSU. Her twitter handle is @KhaliaBraswell.

Dr. Craig Brown - Vice President, National BDPA - Dr. Craig Brown was elected to be National BDPA Vice President (2012-2013). He works with national president Monique Berry and the regional officers to ensure that BDPA is moving towards its vision. Dr. Brown has a 25 year career serving as an expert systems and database architect within leading technologies like Oracle, Oracle-PeopleSoft, SAP, IBM and Microsoft. His experiences are more particular to the Enterprise Resource Planning, Decision Support and Relational Database Management Systems technologies. He earned over 20 certifications within these technological areas and currently provides implementation and integration expertise along with a variety of other technological disciplines. He holds a BS in Computer Science as well as a Master's in Business and a Doctorate in Management Information Systems. He has over 1 million followers on Twitter and thousands of followers on his Facebook page. Dr. Brown should be able to share with our iRadio Show audience his vision for the future of BDPA. His twitter handle is @craigbrownphd.

Derrick Brown - President-Elect, BDPA Atlanta Chapter - Derrick Brown is the president-elect of the BDPA Atlanta chapter. As such, he has been part of the leadership team in Atlanta that has rocked the BDPA-nation over the past two years with its new programs, new energy and remarkable new results. Derrick is poised to take on the chapter presidency in 2014-2015. Our listeners will be intrigued to get the inside scoop on the magical journey of BDPA Atlanta chapter from one of its architects.. His twitter handle is @DSBrown3000.

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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!

Message from Houston Chapter President

Dr. Craig Brown

BDPA Houston Chapter has established a new membership of 30 people and has been active since March 2012. Below are a few points that represent some of the most recent activity:

• Rejuvenated to an active status
• Relationship building with local corporations
• Relationship building with local schools
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Barbara Jordan Endeavors offering STEM for Children with unique abilities and our HSCC program.

The MOU is significant because it involved over 15 High Schools totaling 120 students that that are interested in STEM programs. These kids have special needs so our HSCC program has to be modified to include kid with special abilities.

Sincerely,
Dr. Craig Brown, president
BDPA Houston Chapter

President Profile: Dr. Craig Brown (BDPA Houston)

I think that this may be the first time in over 35 years of BDPA history that a national officer simultaneously served as a local chapter president. If so, much respect must be accorded to Dr. Craig Brown ... who is now serving as the president of the BDPA Houston Chapter. When asked about this challenge, Dr. Brown wrote,

"With the Houston Chapter currently in a rebuilding phase I was asked to serve as the Chapter President until such time that the chapter can sustain proper elections and a full body of officers can be installed. At this time the By-Laws of the chapter will be submitted and the chapter can submit a full roster. Serving in the capacities as both National Vice President and Houston Chapter President is very time consuming and at times takes its toll. The people that support me in Houston and the National Team I work with continue to fill my heart with the nourishment that is needed to fulfill these tasks to the fullest. Since I have taken on both missions I am committed to seeing them both through. Right now the Houston Chapter is more of a project as I am the sole investor and I have some help with management. My national duties are bigger and more organized as I am part of a team and I have support whenever needed."

BDPA Houston Chapter
5644 Westheimer Road, #237
Houston, TX 77056
(281) 687-9219

Dr. Brown has more than 20 years experience in the information technology industry. Dr. Brown's goal of mentoring – and offering advice that results in a more firm grasp of those technologies companies depend on – is being realized every day. His credentials and experience have propelled his career as a leading expert in the IT arena.

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Favorite Scripture: 'Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.' ~ Proverbs 22:6

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Dr. Brown's extensive background in database administration, ERP Administration and more is backed by more than 25 certifications and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mechanical engineering. He has also earned a master’s in business administration along with a Doctorate in Management Information Systems & Computer Information Systems.

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Favorite Quote: 'The workings of the human heart are the profoundest mystery of the universe. One moment they make us despair of our kind, and the next we see in them the reflection of the divine image.' ~ Charles Chestnutt (1858-1932)

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Just for fun Dr. Brown indulges his competitive streak with bowling, golfing and his adventurous side with sky diving, snowboarding, motorcycling and other motor sports.

Top Giving Foundations: Texas

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Communities Foundation of Texas are the top three giving foundations in California as determined by the Grantsmanship Center. [SOURCE]

There are 37 other top giving foundations listed. All of the listed foundations have a staff, issue RFPs, or otherwise indicate an interest in receiving proposals.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is willing to work with our BDPA Austin chapter, BDPA Dallas chapter or BDPA Houston chapter leaders if they want to pursue grant proposals to any or all of these 40 funding sources!

This Week in BDPA (Jan 25-31)

Is your chapter interested in creating BDPAToday eZine to brand your BDPA image with timely information for your stakeholders? If so, let me know via the COMMENTS section below. Isn't it time for chapter success metrics to move in a positive direction?

In the meantime, our foundation provides funding for programs that advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the BDPA CollectiveX Calendar and elsewhere:

• Jan 27: Richmond - Meeting, 'Strategic Planning Roundtable'
  
• Jan 27: Houston - Program Meeting, 'BDPA is the Change We Need'
  
• Jan 28: Atlanta - Program Meeting, 'Staying Ahead of the IT Curve'
  
• Jan 29: Atlanta - Webinar, 'Leveraging the Subject Matter Expert'
  
• Jan 29: Orlando - Program Meeting, 'Career Development and Successful Job Hunting Strategies'
  
• Jan 31: Cincinnati - Program Meeting, 'State of the Chapter'
  
• Jan 31: Baton Rouge - Meeting, 'Strategic Planning Roundtable'

We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the BDPA CollectiveX Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events! Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed. Most importantly, let us know if you plan to attend any BDPA events this week.

Please make tax-deductible online donation to the BDPA Foundation to start your new year. Do it now!

2008-2009 BDPA Strategic Direction (Houston)

BDPA Houston chapter, founded in June 1995, is currently the 27th largest chapter in the nation. However, they plan to increase their membership total in the coming weeks and months with a strong monthly program meeting schedule. BDPA Houston is the first chapter to host the new national president, Denise Holland, as a guest speaker. She will be in Houston to talk about the 2008-2009 BDPA Strategic Direction that her executive committee is putting in place for the successful growth of BDPA.

Here are the logistics for the meeting:

Date: - Tuesday January 8, 2008
Time: - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Place: - Houston Area Urban League
1301 Texas Street (Downtown Houston at the corner of Caroline)

This should be an excellent opportunity for BDPA stakeholders to speak directly with the highest ranking member of the BDPA team.

We realize that not all BETF-Blog Readers cannot be in Houston on January 8th. As such, we encourage you to ask questions right here. What would you ask president Denise Holland if you had the opportunity?