BDPA Cincinnati Announces Education Banquet Keynoter - Rodney Williams (LISNR)

Rodney Williams

BDPA Cincinnati Chapter is pleased to announce that Rodney Williams, founder and CEO of LISNR, will be the keynote speaker for its 19th Annual Education Banquet. The event will take place at Receptions Conference Center; 5975 Boymel Drive, Fairfield OH 45014 on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm. Rodney was invited recently to the White House and honored for his innovation and entrepreneurship. He earned the 2013 Adage Top 40 under 40 and 2015 Upstart100. Rodney is a former P&Ger known for being the first marketer there to co-write digital patents. He earned four (4) degrees by his 24th birthday before working at Lockheed Martin and Department of Energy.

The banquet honors BDPA Cincinnati corporate sponsors and supporters along with the 20 students who participated in the local Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. BDPA has always been concerned with current statistics that show people of color lagging behind in the information technology arena. The goal of the SITES program is to provide a foundation from which high school students can explore their talents and promote interest in the Information Technology field.

BDPA Education Banquet chairperson Brenda Hogan notes, “Our annual banquet provides us the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the students, acknowledge the efforts of our volunteers, and thank our sponsors. We all have a crucial role in developing the next generation of IT Leaders. It is important to honor and celebrate those who are making a difference.”

2015 BDPA Cincinnati HSCC Team

The 2015 SITES students participated in a 30-week program that refined and enhanced their knowledge of computer programming, logical thinking, and presentation skills. Out of the program, five students were selected to represent Cincinnati in the 2015 National BDPA High School Computer Competition held earlier this year in Washington DC.

Your attendance is requested to support to the program. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. Proceeds from the banquet will underwrite scholarships and educational opportunities for area youth. For more information on the banquet, SITES or BDPA Cincinnati chapter, call (513) 549-6991, email banquet.cincy@bdpa.org or log on to https://educationbanquet-cincinnati.eventbrite.com.

About BDPA:
BDPA is the premier organization for African American professionals in the information technology industry. For more than 25 years, BDPA Cincinnati has fulfilled its mission and worked to bridge the digital divide by providing career growth opportunities for its members. BDPA Cincinnati is the fastest-growing of the 47 chapters that exist around the nation.

BDPA Announces Annual Awards Luncheon to Honor Members & Sponsors

BDPA Cincinnati Chapter is pleased to announce the 10th Annual Awards Luncheon (THEME: 'Embracing the Digital Future') to be held at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber (3 E. 4th Street; Cincinnati 45202) on April 10, 2015. BDPA plans to recognize its outstanding volunteer members and corporate sponsors. The chapter is a professional organization that seeks to advance the careers of African Americans in the information technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom via its programs and services.

“BDPA Cincinnati is a safe place to volunteer and sharpen corporate leadership skills”, said Awards Luncheon chairperson Janice Lee. “This luncheon lets us thank the volunteers who ‘do the work’ and the corporate sponsors who provide financial support and advice to the chapter’s board of directors.”

The luncheon will honor five individuals and one corporation for the chapter’s highest honors. The following awards will be presented: Community Service Award, Corporate Sponsor of the Year, Director of the Year, Executive Officer of the Year, Member of the Year and Spirit Award

“The luncheon is a wonderful opportunity for us to express our appreciation to the corporate sponsors and hard working volunteers that make the BDPA Magic happen year over year,” said BDPA Cincinnati president Dalric Webb. “Through the financial, in-kind, and volunteering efforts of our sponsors and supporters, the chapter is able to make a difference each year in the lives of underserved students and individuals focused on STEM careers. We hope all who attend find this brief ceremony to be enjoyable and empowering.”

Your attendance is requested to support the program. Tickets for the luncheon are $25.00. Proceeds from the banquet will underwrite scholarships and educational opportunities for area youth. For more information on the luncheon or BDPA Cincinnati chapter, call (513) 549-6991, email luncheon.cincy@bdpa.org or log on to http://bdpa-awardslunch-2015.eventbrite.com/.

Message from BDPA Midwest Region Officers

BDPA Midwest Region officers Michael Wulf (vice president) and Eric Dortch (director) provide a welcoming message for the guests at the 18th Annual BDPA Cincinnati Education Banquet held on October 4, 2014.



Even if you can't be with at the banquet in person ... you can still help by making a secure online donation in support of the chapter's Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship Fund.

H.O.P.E. Project Founder Selected as BDPA Washington DC Member of the Year

Raymond Bell

Raymond Bell has been named BDPA Washington DC chapter 'Member of the Year'. As founder and executive director of The H.O.P.E. Project, Mr. Bell’s program has excelled in helping more young adults gain meaningful employment and technical experiences in a very competitive workforce.

Based in the District of Columbia, The H.O.P.E. Project is a unique technical career training operation designed to rapidly prepare socially and economically disadvantaged young adults ranging in ages from 18 to 24 for rewarding careers with advancement as Help Desk Technicians and Application Support Professionals with information technology industry bona fides, CompTIA certifications, or security clearances.

Mr. Bell will be honored at the chapter's National Championship Awards Gala and Fundraiser on November 12, 2014

18th Annual BDPA Cincinnati Education Banquet

Ceair Baggett

BDPA Cincinnati is the 2nd largest chapter in the nation. This chapter experienced wonderful success from its high school and college students at the national conference last month. The chapter now extends invitation to all BDPA members, sponsors and stakeholders to attend its 18th Annual Education Banquet on Saturday, October 4, 2014.

One of the highlights of the event will be the keynote speech by Ceair Baggett, the newly selected principal for Ethel M. Taylor Academy. Before coming to Taylor, Mr. Baggett served as Assistant Principal for Robert A. Taft Information Technical High School and Gilbert A. Dater High School respectively. Ceair participated in BDPA computer camp as a high school student. It is wonderful to have him now as our keynoter speaker to honor the students who participated in the program this year.

Here are the logistic for this banquet:

Saturday, October 4, 2014
4:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Receptions Conference Centers5975 Boymel Dr
Fairfield, OH 45014

Tickets: $40.00 per person

You can purchase or donate banquet tickets here.   For rates on tables and ads, please contact us at (513) 549-6441 or cincinnati@bdpa.org

Wordless Wednesday: Howard and Karen James, Former BDPA Philadelphia Chapter President and First Lady

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Photostream on Flickr

Message from BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter President

Karen Smith

Thanks to the 2013 BDPA Northern Delaware Banquet Planning Team for an extraordinary celebration of our STEM Initiative! After seven years of leading the Northern Delaware Chapter, this event served as my last official act as the Chapter President.

Our 2013 event was an Annual Event where we specifically thanked our Corporate Sponsors, Student Leaders, and Volunteers. The overall success of the BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter can be attributed to contributions of all three. JPMorgan Chase, as a chapter sponsor, is a big part of what makes our chapter successful.

We also introduced the 2014-2015 BDPA Northern Delaware chapter president to the Delaware community. We are preparing for growth in 2014 with 60 plus students aligned to our programs, 60% of them college students. This is the result of our partnership with three premier Delaware Universities and three local High Schools. I want to acknowledge the Northern Delaware Student Affiliate chapter at Delaware State University and our growing partnership with the National Society of Black Engineer's chapter on the University of Delaware campus. I want to also thank Wilmington University for the gift of lab space and student scholarships.

Sincerely,
Karen Smith, president
BDPA Northern Delaware Chapter

Wordless Wednesday: Future Faces of Technology Honored by BDPA New York Chapter (2010)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Flickr Photostream

Wordless Wednesday: Future Faces of Technology Honored by BDPA Washington DC Chapter (2011)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Flickr Photostream

Wordless Wednesday: BDPA Leaders Show Up for 2007 Awards Banquet in Philadelphia

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Flickr Photostream

Message From BDPA Los Angeles Chapter President

John Malonson

BDPA Los Angeles celebrated the year with friends and family at Truxton's American Bistro on December 15, 2012.

As president of the Los Angeles Chapter, it was my sincere pleasure opening the event and welcoming everyone as we celebrated a fantastic year. Our 2012 High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team placed 3rd out of 45 potential teams nationwide. Our chapter forged a partnership with Blacks in Technology (Los Angeles) online community. Also we had the pleasure of BETF executive director Wayne Hicks and his lovely mother, BDPA Los Angeles chapter past president Liz Hicks grace us with their presence for the second year in a row.

This year's event was more informal and low-key than past affairs. For example, our keynote speaker (Wayne) shared his message without a podium or microphone; however, he was more than open to the challenge!

Speaking from the top of his head and heart, Wayne re-affirmed to our audience all the good that BDPA does for our community as a national entity and the importance of an organization like ours. Since our event took place the day after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Wayne challenged the "how could it happen here?" mentality shared by many in the media. Horrific events should not be enhanced or limited by geography. We must be mindful that an injustice anywhere is an injustice. As we grieved as a nation, we were reminded just how precious and fleeting life can be. However, we must actively combat apathy for the senseless lives lost everyday that don't make it to the news or happen all at once. Wayne imparted that each of us has the responsibility to be good to others and to make a positive impact on lives, especially our youth, wherever we go.

L-R: Temitope, Akindele, Steven, Steven, Pooja, Justice, John, Trayer and John

Our award recipients this year were:

• 2012 National HSCC Team - Pooja Chebolu (California Academy of Math and Science), Akindele Davies (California Academy of Math and Science), Trayer Harvey (California Academy of Math and Science), John Isaacs (Santa Monica Community College) and Justice Mozell-Guy (Niles West HS)

• BDPA Los Angeles Leadership Team - Beverly Allen (California Institute of California), Ogie Banks (Self-Employed, Karen Breau (California Institute of Technology), Wandia Chiuri (Reaction Power), David Malonson (The Westfield Group), Temitope Sonuyi (Self-Employed) and Kirk Williams (KW3 Consulting)

• YTC Spirit Award - Steven Moreno (Wilson Classical HS)) and Steven Zavala (Wilson Classical HS)

• Community Partners - Dr. Antonia Boadi (CSU Dominguez Hills) and Micah Ali (Compton Unified School District)

• Corporate Sponsors (Corporate Champion) - Sempra Energy (Carolyn Williams) and Raytheon Company (Mel Jackson).
  

In Los Angeles, we look to 2013 as a year with even more promise! If you're interested in learning more about the largest chapter in the West, please contact us at losangeles@bdpa.org

Sincerely,
John C. Malonson III, President
BDPA Los Angeles Chapter

Wordless Wednesday: BDPA Leaders Gather for 2011 Awards Banquet in Washington DC

  SOURCE:  BDPA Foundation Flickr Photostream

Cybersecurity Czar Dr. Ernest McDuffie is Keynote Speaker for BDPA Conference Awards Gala

The excitement continues to build for the 34th annual National BDPA Technology Conference and Career Expo to be held at the Downtown Hilton in Baltimore, Maryland on August 1-4, 2012. The theme for the conference is 'Transforming the IT Professional'. BDPA recently announced that the Awards Gala keynote speaker will be Dr. Ernest McDuffie.

In early 2010 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was selected as the lead agency for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and Dr. McDuffie was appointed as the Lead for this effort. In his previous position he had been appointed the Associate Director of the National Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development in February 2008. From early September 2009 until early November 2009 he served as Acting Director of the NCO. His appointment as the Associate Director of the NCO comes after joining the NIST as a Computer Scientist in their Information Technology Laboratory, Office of Federal and Industrial Relations. In August 2006, Dr. McDuffie joined the NCO where he served as the Technical Coordinator for the Cyber Security and Information Assurance Inter-agency Working Group, Federal Agency Administration of Science and Technology Education and Research Committee of Practice, and the Software Design and Productivity Coordination Group.





Prior to joining the NCO, Dr. McDuffie served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Naval Research – Science and Technology for America’s Readiness Initiative. He served as the Lead Program Director for the Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service Program at the National Science Foundation.

He served as an Assistant Professor at Florida State University in the Department of Computer Science where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in CS for seven years. Dr. McDuffie has participated in software engineering projects for the U.S. Air Force, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Federal Aviation Administration, Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the National Security Agency.

Dr. McDuffie received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Dr. McDuffie will address IT industry executives and IT, Cyber, and STEM professionals in front of a distinguished audience of national High School Computer Competition and IT Showcase finalists.

Grant Proposal: The Kroger Co. (Cincinnati)

BDPA Cincinnati chapter looks forward to its 16th annual Awards Banquet to be held on Saturday, September 17, 2011. The keynote speaker for the banquet is Margo Springs. Ms. Springs is the first African American women to serve as chief information officer for the City of Cincinnati.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked with BDPA Cincinnati chapter to submit an online grant proposal to The Kroger Co. We asked for them to provide funding towards the annual banquet. Our understanding is that the answer to our request should come within the next ten (10) business days.

BDPA Los Angeles: Remembering 2010

BDPA Los Angeles took some time during their annual Holiday Awards Luncheon held earlier this month to reflect on their accomplishments in 2010. The chapter also announced the creation of the Brandon Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund to support the young people who represent the chapter at the annual national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships.

Enjoy the slideshow presentation:

BDPA Los Angeles: Remembering 2010

View more presentations from BDPA Foundation.

It appears that BDPA Los Angeles chapter is ready to take it to the next level in 2011 and beyond!

Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart Will Keynote 2010 BDPA New York Scholarship Awards Dinner

Melodie Mayberry-Stewart is the chief information officer for the state of New York. She was recently named one of the Top 50 African Americans in Technology. I'm looking forward to meeting her on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 in Brooklyn NY. I will be the master of ceremonies at the BDPA New York Chapter Scholarship & Awards Dinner. Ms. Mayberry-Stewart will be the keynote speaker.

The purpose of the dinner is to recognize the outstanding contributions of BDPA New York chapter’s community supporters and corporate sponsors as well as award college scholarships to our students, who are members of the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The SITES program affords students the opportunity to get hands-on computer and web development training, exposure to various careers in Information Technology and develop professional and interpersonal skills (i.e. business etiquette skills, resume writing and team building). This program is designed to develop the next generation of IT Professionals, and encourage African American youth to explore careers in such traditionally underrepresented fields as Computer Science and Information Technology.

Another highlight of the evening will be the announcement of the winners of the Roger Dunn Memorial Scholarship and the Renee McClure Scholarship Awards. These awards go to BDPA SITES students who have demonstrated strong excellent leaderships skills. BETF helped to fund both of these awards in the past.

I hope that you will consider supporting this annual event with your presence in person or via an advertisement in the program guide. Those of you that are unable to find a business-related reason to support the chapter can do so with a tax-deductible donation to the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Globalization Symposium Helps African American and Hispanic IT Executives Compete

Did you know that the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) was birthed at a National BDPA Technology Conference back in the day? The group has evolved over the years. In fact, one of our BDPA Foundation directors, Larry Quinlan, is an ITSMF member.

"Globalization from a Business, Economic, Technical and Cultural Perspective" - a must-attend symposium on February 12-14, 2009 for IT executives, co-sponsored by the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) and the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) - will answer these questions and more. ITSMF is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to fostering senior-level executive talent among African American IT professionals; HITEC was founded by senior Hispanic IT executives who have built outstanding careers in information technology.

My hope is that the brothers and sisters that make up ITSMF will consider how they might support the BDPA Foundation in 2009 and beyond.

Grant Award: Centocor

BDPA Foundation partnered with BDPA Philadelphia to request funding support from Centocor. We are happy to report that Centocor agreed to our charitable contribution request. Gwendolyn Miley is responsible for Centocor charitable contributions. She wrote,

"On behalf of Centocor, I am pleased to advise that your charitable contribution request in support of the Third Annual Awards Recognition & Fundraiser Banquet, December 6, 2008, Radisson Valley Forge Hotel has been approved in the amount of $1,000.

Thank you for your interest in Centocor. We wish you much success in your future endeavors."

I would like to thank John Dawson. He is a BDPA member employed by Centocor. He was the key player in moving our grant proposal forward to Centocor. I hope that other BDPA members will follow the example set by Bro. Dawson. What funding opportunities exist within the corporate foundation of your employer?

2009 Awards Banquet (Chicago)

Tickets on Sale Now via the Link Below!

http://bdpawardsbanquet.myevent.com/

This Week in BDPA (Nov 30 - Dec 6)

Our foundation seeks to support BDPA programs and services. As such, it is important that our blog readers know about the plethora of BDPA activity all around the country. Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the BDPA CollectiveX Calendar and elsewhere:

• Dec 6: Philadelphia - Banquet, '3rd Annual Awards Recognition & Fundraiser Banquet'

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.

If you like what you are seeing on this blog ... please consider making an online donation to the BDPA Foundation so that we can continue to fund these events in the future.