Message from BDPA Atlanta Chapter SITES Director

What can I say other than thank you? Thank you to everyone in BDPA for all the great things you have done for me.

It is bittersweet, but, effective August 5, 2012 I will retire as Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) Director for BDPA Atlanta chapter. After 11 great years of working with the student program, BDPA has transformed me from a boy into a man.

I started with the student program as a high school student (BDPA Memphis), up to undergrad (BDPA Chattanooga), straight through grad school, and finally as an IT professional (BDPA Atlanta). I AM "from the classroom to the boardroom" because of what BDPA has done and is doing for me.

As I reflect on retiring, I think of BDPA as a girlfriend and I recall that Gladys Knight and the Pips song, “Neither One Of Us”.

“I keep wondering, what I'm gonna do without you, And I guess you must be wondering that same thing too...Everytime I find the nerve to say I'm leaving, Memories, those old memories get in my way… When it comes to saying goodbye, That's a simple word that I just cannot say...There can be no way, there can be no way, This can have a happy ending, no no, So we just go on hurting and pretending, And convincing ourselves to give it just one more try.”

You all know I’m ol’ school!

I know I may get in trouble for calling names, so let me say I truly appreciate everyone and what they have done for me and my family. If you are on this email, I thank you. There are, however, some people who were very influential in pivotal stages in my career with BDPA.

I have to thank my mother and father for making me be in the program and giving me the life lessons to be able to last this long. To my brothers for always supporting me by kind words, coming to the banquet, and for teaching and talking to my kids.

To my wife and daughter, we got a lot time to make up, but thank you for allowing me the time to do something I am extremely passionate about.

My Pops (Joseph Taylor) and Todd Green started it all for me. They took a chance by selecting me to be on the national championship High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Memphis chapter in 2001. That opportunity single-handedly changed my life and helped put me in the position I am in today. Words can't express what you two mean to me and how much I appreciate your help and guidance throughout the past 11 years.

My Ma (Teresa Williams) for being crazy enough to adopt me as her only begotten son. LOL. Because they crucified me. LOL. Thanks for having my back and pushing me for greatness. It is very comforting to be able to have a mother away from home.

To the greatest hype man in the world, Mr. Wayne Hicks. You challenged me back in 2003 to not just accept the Memphis wins and do nothing else, but to continue to educate high school students and help take BDPA to the next level. I accepted that challenge and I hope I met your expectations. You are one of the shoulders BDPA rests on. Thank you for supporting me and letting the world know who I am through the BETF-Blog, CNN, BDPA iRadio Show and Diversity Careers Magazine (see page 18).

For Felicia making the company think I was greater than what I am. It got me in the door, what more can I ask for. LOL. Thanks for believing in me.

To Maurice for being my greatest competitor, competition, and big brother. There would not be a Coach Wes in Atlanta had you not been by my side the whole time helping and mentoring me. I learned a lot from you and I can’t say thank you enough.

Thank you to the BDPA Atlanta Leadership Board, for all the support and mentoring you all have given me.

To the greatest volunteers in all of BDPA that I have worked with: Dre, Dawn, Keke, Wayne Bowling, Cynthia, DaWaisha, Maurice, Sharnecia, Lanita, Cornell. Thank you all. When times got crazy, you all were there through it all. You all are the reason why BDPA Chattanooga and BDPA Atlanta have performed well enough to be honored at past national award galas.

Thank you to all my kids and parents. The success of my students completes me. They have worked so hard throughout the years in the program. I'm proud to say my kids go off to college or either join the military to serve our country. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the reason why we do this and the reason why I stuck around for 11 years. I hope you all learned something and got something from the program that will help you out in life.

As I close, I wanted to take my time with this because I am truly, truly, truly grateful for BDPA and the people in it that have changed my life. So I end this the same way I started back in 01. I got to borrow a passage from the artist Jay-Z , “What More Can I Say” ,with some slight modifications. Maurice (he is a BIG Jay-Z fan) this is for you. LOL


Pound for pound I'm the best to ever come around here
Excluding nobody
Look what I embody
The mind of a genius, I wanted to be the best I could be
The ACE program was mine
That marketing plan was me
And no I’m not saying this because I want to be slick
And as a coordinator I wasn't always the first round pick
And I’m not animated as like say a Wayne Hicks
But the realness you get when you break down my lines
Add that to the fact I won 1st a bunch of times
Times that by my influence
On the program’s culture
I’m supposed to be number one on everybody's list
It’s hard to say but this is it…………………....….for now ;)


Thank you,
Wesley Williams, SITES Director
BDPA Atlanta Chapter

Where Are They Now: 2001 Nat'l HSCC Champions (Memphis)

Anyone seen the 2001 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Champions?

The five-student team from Memphis BDPA, consisting of Robyn Nash, Brittany Middleton, Trevor Williams, Wesley Williams and Ayyub Wright, was presented "the gold" at the 2001 National BDPA Technology Conference in Chicago.

The 5-member team from Memphis earned their spot over about thirty others that trained at a five-month computer camp program for high school students. The computer camp program provides skills and instruction in the following areas: professional development, public speaking, basic computer skills, basic Internet skills and web site development. In addition, the students that were selected for the team focused on learning web site application programming and basic computer terminology.

The team has its own website complete with bios, photo gallery and chapter awards banquet memories. Are there similiar online tributes to national champions from other years?

Anyhow, we would love to hear from Robyn, Brittany, Trevor, Wesley or Ayyub. Where are they now?

Can We Create the Future Face of Technology in BDPA?

Did you watch Soledad O'Brien share insights on the NewMe Accelerator journey in "Black in America: The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley"? The point was made that there are very few African Americans being funded for technology start-ups in Silicon Valley. It is obvious that creating a vanguard of technology CEOs begins with the education that we give to our young people.

Check out this video to see how one woman seeks to make a difference at an early age for students of color:





There are a number of other organizations trying to create future STEM superstars. The future face of technology can be seen in the story of BDPA Atlanta chapter member Wesley Williams who is featured in this CNN interview.

“We already know that the students use technology, we are trying to show them how they can be involved in creating technology, ” said Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

BDPA iRadio Show - July 12, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders.  Listen to our show originally broadcast on July 12, 2011.

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on Blog Talk Radio

1. Earl Pace, Founder BDPA; Chairman of the Board BDPA Education and Technology Foundation; CEO Pace Data Systems - BDPA was created by Earl Pace over 35 years ago. Earl has also been on the BETF board since it was founded in 1992.
2. Marybeth Gasman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania - Marybeth conducts research related to higher education, specifically African American higher education, historically Black colleges and universities, philanthropy, and fundraising. At Penn, she teach courses on the history of American higher education, diversity in higher education, college and university teaching, and research in higher education.

3. Wesley Williams, Student Programs Director, BDPA Atlanta - Wes is unique within BDPA. He was a BDPA HSCC national champion as a high school student in Memphis. He coached the BDPA Chattanooga Chapter team to its highest ranking in HSCC championship while a college student. He moved to Atlanta GA and served as the HSCC coach for that team … before becoming the chapter’s Student Programs Director. BDPA has been an integral part of his life for many years. He is an inspirational story in many ways and he embodies the ‘classroom to the boardroom’ model. He currently works for Macys.
4. Pablo More, Chapter President, BDPA Orlando - Pablo has served as BDPA Orlando chapter president for a number of years. He also served as the Chapter President Liaison for a number of years as well. In that position he was responsible for bringing the 45 chapter presidents together to learn about various issues and to make policy recommendations to the National BDPA Board of Directors. He is a passionate advocate for BDPA and should provide excellent ‘best practice’ ideas from his BDPA Orlando experience.

Our host for this show is Franne McNeal.  The technical advisor is John Malonson.  The show is sponsored by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. We invite you to listen to archive recording of our shows held back on June 14 or June 28.

BDPA Legacy: Wesley Williams (BDPA Atlanta)

BDPA created the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) over 25 years ago. There have been thousands of students taking part in regional and national championships since that time. There have been hundreds of HSCC coordinators and volunteer instructors. However, there may be only one person who has participated in the HSCC for as long or as well as its founder, Dr. Jesse Bemley.  That person is Wesley Williams.

Wesley Williams has been a proud member of the BDPA organization since 2001. His membership originated with the Memphis chapter, as a student in the HSCC program. He worked his way up through the rank to become a member of the Memphis HSCC team. In fact, Wesley was part of the first-ever HSCC championship won by BDPA Memphis chapter.

Wesley stayed with the Memphis chapter up to 2004, making sure every year the Memphis HSCC team was ready to compete. And ready they were.  BDPA Memphis won the national HSCC championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004 ... becoming the FIRST chapter to ever win four national HSCC championships in a row.

But Wesley didn’t stop there...

While attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he was able to get in contact with our BDPA Chattanooga chapter and restart the once depleted HSCC program as Coordinator. The chapter was able to win 4th place and 5th place with the help of Cornell Gaulman -- another Memphis HSCC champ and younger brother to Wesley.

Wesley then moved to Atlanta, GA where he pursued his Master of Divinity at the Interdenominational Theological Center in the Atlanta University Center. While in Atlanta, he became the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) Director and HSCC coordinator, where he led the Atlanta chapter to winning 1st place and 2nd place at regional competitions and 5th place at the 2008 National HSCC Championship.

Wesley has not only continued programs like HSCC as Director, but has introduced new programs like Advanced Computer Education and the Women’s Council. He married Lanita Russell, who was the first member of the Women’s Council in Chattanooga, TN and now serves as Fundraising Coordinator for the BDPA Atlanta chapter.

Below are some of Wesley’s accomplishments since 2001. Clearly, Wesley should be an early entry into the BDPA Hall of Fame ... whenever we get around to creating it!

BDPA Awards Earned by Wesley Williams

• 2001, 1st place National HSCC: Team Member (Memphis)
• 2002-2004, 1st place National HSCC: Assistant Coach (Memphis)
• 2003, 2nd place First Ever IT Showcase: College Student (Memphis)
• 2006, 4th place National HSCC: Coordinator, Coach (Chattanooga)
• 2007, 5th place National HSCC: Coordinator, Coach (Chattanooga)
• 2008, 2nd place Midwest Regional HSCC: Director, Coordinator, Coach (Atlanta)
• 2008, 5th place National HSCC: Director, Coordinator, Coach (Atlanta)
• 2011, 1st place Southeast Regional HSCC: Director, Coordinator, Coach (Atlanta)

Wesley is currently works at Macy's in the Systems and Technology department as an applications support analyst.   He credits all his BDPA success to his parents, brothers, and wife; his chapter presidents; his BDPA mentor Joseph Taylor III (Memphis) and Teresa Williams (Atlanta); and all the volunteers that have worked long hours with him throughout his 10 years with the organization.

Wesley and his wife Lanita are devout BDPA members who currently await the arrival of the newest addition to their family, Kiyah Ayo Bronnay Williams.  Can anyone doubt that Kiyah is destined for greatness in BDPA as well?

Please take a moment to REPLY to this post with some BDPA-Love for a remarkable young man -- Wesley Williams!

HSCC Testimonial: Darryl Davis (Atlanta, 2008-2010)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation awarded over $347,000 in college scholarships since 1999. One of our scholars is Darryl Davis. Darryl earned a Jesse Bemley Scholarship as a result of the high performance by him and his BDPA Atlanta teammates during the 2008 National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship.

Darryl shared his thoughts on BDPA with us in the following testimonial:

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My experience with BDPA has been an emotionally, physically and mentally trying experience for each of the three years I was actively apart of the program. To this day I am amazed at how much I’ve changed since being a young, naive freshman to a mature high school graduate. I went into the program not knowing anything about programming, public speaking or teamwork, but each of those skills grew in me over the three years.

When I began BDPA I honestly did not know what I was in for. Now, I am happy I stuck it out. Not only did I gain knowledge from the program, but I also gained friends and family that I feel will be a part of my life for a long time. Coach Wes took me under his wing and treated me like one of his own. He set goals and expectations for not only me, but all my teammates, too. We felt obligated to meet said commitments no matter how extensive or daunting they were. I remember going to the Regionals during my first year of the program and Coach Wes kept telling us that the Regionals were just a learning experience to see how Nationals would be. In short he did not want us to get our hopes up too high, but the Atlanta Chapter practically got first place. Later that year we went to Nationals, in our home town, and received fifth place in the whole country. We made ourselves, and the whole Atlanta chapter, proud.

The second year was a rough year for everyone on the team. I can honestly say that I was not putting my all into the program, and I apologize for that. We went to Nationals and did very bad. It was not a good feeling. I felt as if I was just wasting not only my time but everyone in the Atlanta chapter that donated their time and resources into me. I decided to come back to the program next year with an entirely new outlook.

On the first day of the program Coach Wes told us that if we did not perform like we wanted to go to Nationals, then we wouldn’t be going. He also said that no one has a guaranteed spot on the team. Over the months of classes he repeatedly stated, “We still haven’t bought those plane tickets yet.” He used this to motivate us to put out Nationals quality work. When summer began, training for Nationals kicked into high gear. I was busy working on my PHP coding just about six days a week. If I was not at Impact Church learning the ins and outs of databases or creating an application with Mr. Andre, I was over Coach Wes’s house working on coding National problems. We went into the national competition focused and armed with all the knowledge to be successful during the competition. Although we did not win, my team and I were happy with our performance, not only because it was a huge step up from last year’s performance, but because we knew the material we needed, and in a sense that was comforting.

This program helped instill responsibility in me, without it I know for certain I would be a totally different person.

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We look for great things over the coming years from Darryl. You can help us support other young people interested in STEM-based knowledge by making a secure online donation to our college scholarship fund in support of Atlanta chapter.

BDPA Youth Education Program Kicks Off in Atlanta (Video)

BDPA Atlanta chapter is beginning their Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program journey for 2010. They kicked off their youth education training this month. Here is a video produced by the chapter's HSCC coordinator Wes Williams:




I loved seeing this video! What do you think about it?

Message from Atlanta Chapter President

I recently was talking about the future of BDPA with Teresa Williams (2nd from left, pictured with other members of Atlanta chapter board of directors), president of BDPA Atlanta chapter. Her excitement for the future of her chapter shows clearly in her comments below:

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"I am just too excited about our 2008 HSCC Team that I have to tell someone!

After we had to withdraw this year, I vowed to continue working it and we have been blessed. First, Georgia Perimeter College approved the use of their classroom, which is fantastic because it has all the latest hardware & software, 24 workstations, and it's free! Then we were able to snag Wes Williams, a HSCC Alumni from Memphis, who is attending college in Atlanta as our HSCC Coordinator. He's young, passionate about BDPA & HSCC, & has a proven track record of winning. Wes has promised us a winning team and we intend to make our presence known come August!

After that we shared our program launch letter with the members and asked them to bring their teenagers and to spread the word. Wayne, we had such a tremendous response that we had to stop taking students on November 12th! This past Saturday, we had 38 students and their parents show up. These kids came from High Schools across the city. As a result of this we have started the beginnings of a partnership with Frederick Douglass High School, where I was asked to sit on their Technology Advisory board. In reverse the head of their Technology program has agreed to join our chapter. She's a young energetic teacher who personally transported four of the students on Saturday.

Next on my agenda is to work on funding for these kids. We have a funding goal of $10K... be on the lookout for some surprising things soon!"

Teresa Williams, president
BDPA Atlanta Chapter
Email: president@atlantabdpa.org

, Teresa mentions Wes Williams (shown in the photo to the left) in her message above. He is a brother with an amazing history in BDPA. He competed for a number of years on the 4-time national HSCC championship teams from Memphis. He coached the BDPA Chattanooga HSCC team to the bronze medal in the 2007 national competition held in Washington DC. Now, the young brother is going to try to win scholarships for the team in Atlanta. Wes Williams is a tremendous young brother and he will be a blessing for the young people participating in the youth education programs down in Atlanta.

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BETF-Blog Readers

Do we have similar excitement in other BDPA chapters around the country? Do we have any Atlanta chapter members who want to share their thoughts on Teresa's message above?