Spring Technology Showcase (BDPA Huntsville)

Jason Bradshaw is the VP-Membership Management for BDPA Huntsville Chapter. He recently wrote,

---

"On a beautiful Saturday morning, BDPA Huntsville Chapter hosted a Spring Technology showcase. At the event several BDPA members engaged the youth of Huntsville, AL with technologies. The event kicked off with speaker Patricia King discussing the many accomplishments and struggles throughout her career as an African American female engineer. Mrs. King also discussed how pneumatics work and taught a hands-on application using Legos.

During Part Two of the showcase, BDPA member Casandra Nealy showcased the Lego EV3 Robot with its various configurations and functionalities.

After a brief intermission Bernard Nealy, Casandra's father and a BDPA member, started off Part Three of the showcase by displaying the large hardware and software capabilities of the small Raspberry Pi computer.

The showcase was ended with a cybersecurity briefing by BDPA members Claudia Williams and Sylvia Archie, who are both Certified Ethical Hackers and Cyber Security Analysts for the US Army. Upon closing BDPA VP-Technology Rosalind McCullough and VP-Strategy and Planning Steton Walker, engaged with the children with discussion about embracing their dreams and striving for success in whatever field they desire to pursue.

Networking and socializing the event went very well among parents, chapter members, and children. BDPA Huntsville plans to have several more technology events in the near future. In addition, the chapter will be hosting its first annual Golf Tournament on April 20, 2018."

---

Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, March 2014)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  We are proud to announce that membership has grown for the 3rd straight month.  In fact, the total membership increased by 12% in the first quarter of the year ... and up 48% from this time last year!  The membership growth is a direct result of efforts by local, regional and national leaders to provide a value proposition to members (and potential members) with its programs, scholarships and services.  Kudos to the National BDPA VP-Membership Management Adrienne Thomas and her team for their continued positive trending in this core metric.

Dalric Webb

For the second month in a row we pay homage to BDPA Cincinnati chapter for its continued success in terms of membership retention and recruitment.  The chapter added more members in March than any other chapter in the nation.  BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Dalric Webb continues to provide the leadership necessary for the chapter to grow over 263% in the past 12 months!  The chapter is leveraging its corporate sponsors as part of its strategy to grow memberships.   

Two other chapters deserve recognition for their membership growth in 2014.   BDPA chapters in Huntsville (president, Carol Bell) and Greater Birmingham (president, LaDonna Crum) managed to grow their chapters by 40% and 30%, respectively in the first quarter of the year.

We believe in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members. Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush
2. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
3. Cincinnati - president, Dalric Webb
4. Philadelphia - president, Eileen Gadsden
5. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown 
6. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney
7. Dallas - president, Chad White (up 1 spot from last month)
8. Los Angeles - president, John Malonson (down 1 spot)
9. New York - president, Tyronne McKinney
10. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore

The top five chapters on the list remain in the 'BDPA Century Club'! The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Washington DC each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

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?

Related articles

• Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, February 2014)
• Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, January 2014)

Message from BDPA Huntsville Chapter President

Cross-posted from BDPA Huntsville Chapter Blog

New Chapter President Introductions, Membership and News

I am posting a copy of an email announcement regarding BDPA Huntsville Chapter's first meeting under my leadership. This letter speaks to the heart and soul of what I believe to be true about BDPA and the vision for my Presidency. I've also attached three other documents mentioned during our conversation:

1. a brochure that highlights BDPA as an organization;
2. a list of the top ten benefits that are available to those who join BDPA; and,
3. a recent sampling of the type of benefits our members receive from BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Just a couple of personal thoughts before you read 'the corporate' literature:

• BDPA was formed 35 years ago to support minorities in the fields of data processing – the modern day Computer Science or IT professional. We now have several thousand members across the nation (e.g. Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, North Carolina, Atlanta, Chicago, Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, etc.) with engineering, analysts, and programming skills that cover every career level from the classroom to the boardroom.

• Our Vision is simple - "Be a powerful advocate for our stakeholders' interests within the global technology industry.”

• And, basically, we are a coalition of IT (STEM) professionals who are true to our Mission - "BDPA is a global member-focused technology organization that delivers programs and services for the professional well-being of its stakeholders*."  [*Here, by stakeholders, we mean – students, academia, entrepreneurs, federal and private sector, and industry]

As you can see, I'm passionate about making this organization count. I'm even more passionate about doing all I can to see to it that this organization

1. promotes excellence in our youth (classroom), 
2. professional development in our matriculating seniors and career members (mid-level), 
3. rendering a return-on-investment that is acceptable to our industry, federal and academia partners, and 
4. bolster business development and success of BDPA member entrepreneurs (boardroom).

These are "The 4 Goals" by which I will measure my presidency.

Based on the support and interest from our core membership, the BDPA Huntsville chapter constituency that met with me are charged and ready for action.

Huntsville and Greater Madison County Alabama - I'd even go so far as to say Northern Alabama, once you've had an opportunity to review, I'd like to hear your thoughts and more importantly, we'd like your support in breathing life into the BDPA Huntsville chapter.

Sincerely submitted,
Carol Bell, president
BDPA Huntsville Chapter

Message from BDPA Huntsville Chapter President (July 2013)

Greetings,

As the new President of the BDPA Huntsville Chapter, I accept this position with great joy and enthusiasm. Equally, I am looking forward to leveraging membership expertise and participation in a team approach to strategically grow the Huntsville Chapter.

During our Meet and Greet, I will provide a brief Bio of career highlights (see below).

Membership
To build upon previous groundwork, the first order of business is determining continued membership interest. According to BDPA National records, there were a few memberships that expired in June 2013 and the balance of the memberships expire between now and July 31, 2013. If you are interested in maintaining your membership and being an active part of the Huntsville Chapter, please consider renewing your membership today. 

Membership Benefits and Rewards:

1. Networking Opportunities
2. Professional Development & Career Center
3. Mentoring Opportunities
4. Civic Involvement
5. Strategic Growth of STEM
6. Membership Rewards Program  ****NEW****

Please renew your membership by August 1, 2013.

Your membership is important on both the National and Local level for the following reasons:

1. To continue chapter eligibility/recognition we have to maintain 10 members
2. Also, to be eligible to vote at the National Conference our chapter has to be a recognized chapter.
3. Finally, we want and need you to support and participate in the strategic growth and development of this chapter!

Meet & Greet/Chapter Meetings/Chapter Calendar
Please plan to attend our first chapter meeting together this coming Thursday, July 11th at noon. We request your presence to re-energize this chapter. Your inputs, suggestions, recommendations are needed.

The meeting will be held here at Tec-Masters. in the Corporate Conference Room. I will send a virtual meeting notice under separate cover. Lunch will be provided by the Huntsville Chapter Sponsor, Tec-Masters. Please RSVP to ensure we have an accurate head count.

Agenda*

• Welcome
• Introductions
• Old News & Minutes
• New News
• Chapter Membership
• Chapter Committees
• Chapter Calendar
• Strategic Vision
• Wrap-Up
• Adjourn

 * Please forward any agenda items to me by COB Wednesday for inclusion in Thursday’s meeting.

National BDPA Technology Conference
The 35th annual BDPA Technology National Conference will take place on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington, DC.   I will be attending the National conference. Curious to know how many of you are planning on attending the National Conference? Your attendance in helping me represent the Huntsville Chapter is welcomed. Additionally, we can synchronize our coverage of conference sessions to provide a report back to the Huntsville membership upon our return.

Please let me know if you plan to attend.

In Closing

I am honored to serve as your new Chapter President. Let’s work together for the common good of the organization’s mission and vision, our constituency and the Greater Huntsville Area to make our chapter the Premiere Chapter of BDPA!

1. Establish our presence – Who we are, What we are about
2. Promote Excellence “from the classroom to the boardroom”, not only in the areas of STEM & IT, but in everything we do!
3. Promote Civic Duty
4. Be a Resource within the community – Students, Professionals, Entrepreneurs

Yours in Service,
Carol Bell, president
BDPA Huntsville Chapter