BDPA Foundation

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 12/31/2008 (Norman Mays)

BDPA Creates the IT Corps. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) is going global with the creation of an IT Corps much like the highly successful Peace Corps. The idea went public at the June 2008 Leon H. Sullivan Summit, an economic development conference held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Read the rest of the article here.

Monday, December 22, 2008

ComputerWorld, 12/22/2008 (Earl Pace, Ralph Gordon)

Editor's Note: Race issue still beset by destructive labels. After I interviewed Earl Pace for a Q&A that was posted on our Web site last week, I knew some pieces of it would end up on the cutting-room floor. I'd had an hourlong conversation with the African-American IT pioneer and co-founder of Black Data Processing Associates, and clearly not all of it would see the light of day.

Read the full editorial here.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Detroit Free Press, 12/16/2008 (Eatonia Williams)


Student Inspires West Bloomfield Woman to Launch Eyeglass Project. Eatonia Williams was working for the Detroit Public Schools, doing lessons on conflict resolution and peer mediation, when she realized one of the junior high kids sitting at the front of the class had a problem.

Read the rest of the media story here.

NOTE: Eatonia serves on National BDPA Board of Directors as Detroit chapter president (2004-2005) and National VP-Membership Management (2008-2009).

Monday, December 15, 2008

ComputerWorld, 12/15/2008 (Earl Pace)

Q&A: Tech pioneer Earl Pace on racism in the IT workplace. Early in his career, while working as a programming manager for a financial services company, Earl A. Pace, Jr. attended a computer conference where he was the only African American among the 200 attendees. He decided that needed to change.

Read the full Q&A session here.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

John Carroll University, Winter 2008 (Ken Wilson, Norman Mays)


Technology Team. John Carroll University helped prepare a winning team. Linda Seiter, a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, devoted months to helping a group of area high school students get ready for a national programming competition in August.

The rest of the article can be found here on page 10.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

TechColumbus, 11/15/2008 (BDPA Columbus)

HSCC Kick-off Meeting. Come out and join BDPA as we welcome the parents and students who are interested in the HSCC web development program. All members are encourage to attend this event. This is a great opportunity to learn about BDPA and the programs we provide.

Read the rest of this media story here.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Buckeye Soul, 11/10/2008 (BDPA Columbus)

Columbus BDPA High School Computer Competition 2009. Come out and join Columbus chapter of BDPA as we welcome the parents and students who are interested in the High School Computer Competition web development program. All members are encourage to attend this event. This is a great opportunity to learn about BDPA and the programs we provide.

Read the rest of the media story here.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Providence Journal, 11/4/08 (BDPA Rhode Island)

African American Community News. BDPA reception: Black Data Processing Associates of Rhode Island will hold its 4th annual Education and Scholarship Reception at 7 p.m. on Saturday, at Johnson & Wales Inn, 213 Taunton Ave., Seekonk, Mass. The keynote speaker will be Antonio DaSilva, Bank of America, senior vice president, RI consumer market executive. Tickets are $30 per person, $50 per couple.

Read the full media story here.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 11/1/2008 (S.Bridges, M.Haynes, D.Hebner, B.Hedberg, D.Holland, L.Holmes, D.Olivencia, E.Pace, R.Taylor-Nash, J.Weiss)

BDPA Rounds Out Its Third Decade. Atlanta, GA was the setting for the thirtieth annual national technology conference of BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates). The event featured a variety of workshops, panel discussions and technical sessions, and brought together African American IT pros from all parts of the country.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Information Technology, 11/1/2008 (Wayne Hicks, Karen Smith)


Financial IT: Tough Times Call for Sharp Skills. From bank tellers to bank presidents, the financial industry is going through rough times, says Wayne Hicks, executive director of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Foundation. But despite all the problems, Hicks notes, folks in financial IT are probably least affected by the downturn.

It’s important to ensure that your skill sets are as up to date as possible in case your institution is hit,” he advises. “If you’re working with proprietary systems, remember they may not translate well in the market, so be sure to brush up on your general skills as well. I’ve noticed at conferences that IT pros are using their networking skills much more than in prior years,” he adds.
Read the full article here.

Friday, October 31, 2008

SlideShare, 10/31/2008 (Wayne Hicks)


Working With BETF: Do You Want to Bring More Money Into Your Chapter Treasury. Presentation made by BETF executive director Wayne Hicks to the National BDPA Board of Directors in Oct 2008. The presentation focused on ways to raise additional revenue for local BDPA chapters thru a solid relationship with BDPA Foundation.



Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Metro, 10/29/2008 (Asia Williams)

Cracking the Career Code. When it comes to computers, Asia Williams was a natural. Ten years ago, when she was a home health care aide, her computer expertise led her to become the CEO's administrative assistant. With no formal computer training, Williams caught and fixed a major error in the company's payroll system.

You can read the full article here.

Call and Post, 10/29/08 (BDPA Columbus)

Let's Talk Politics in the Digital Age. Come out and join BDPA as we welcome Democratic Rep. Tracy Heard, LaShawn Brown the Owner/CEO of One in a Billion Consulting, and Samuel Gresham, Jr. Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on African American Males in an in depth discussion about the candidates, the role of technology in their campaigns, the importance of voting and why early voting is important.

You can see the full media story here.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

TechLINKS.net, 10/22/08 (BDPA Atlanta)

Come discover the keys to passing the PMP Exam! BDPA Atlanta chapter program meeting, 'Project Management: A Universal Approach to Executing Strategic Vision' presented by Floyd Trotman. Floyd Trotman is an accomplished and highly demanded educator in the Project Management industry. As one of the few individuals that have mastered every version of the PMI’s PMBOK® Guide, Floyd has personally trained thousands of professionals across the country with nearly a 100% pass rate.

You can read the rest of this article here.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Buckeye Soul, 10/16/08 (BDPA Columbus)

BDPA Columbus Hosts 'The Importance of Voting'. On Thursday, October 30, 2008, the Columbus chapter of the BDPA will host the Columbus Information Exchange with a discussion on The Importance of Voting. The guest speakers will be Tracie Heard, LaShawn Brown, and Sam Greshem. The event will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at 1111 Polaris Parkway, Columbus, OH 43240 in room 1B3086/1B3297. The cost is FREE and food and beverages will be provided. For more information contact lance@bdpacolumbus.org.

You can read the full story here.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

4Syndication, 10/8/2008 (John Eckenrode)

Editor's Note: John Eckenrode was appointed by National BDPA on November 6, 2008 to serve as a director on the board of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation.


John Eckenrode & Tom Loveland of the MCSA Named as 2008 GBTC Connector Award Winners. The Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) is excited to announce that John Eckenrode and Tom Loveland, co-creators of the Maryland Computer Services Association (MCSA), have been selected as joint recipients of this years Connector Award.

Read the rest of the article here.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Business Compute-N-Show, 9/8/2008 (Nancy Ford, April Jackson)

Computer Troubleshooting and Fixes Made Easy. April Jackson, Desktop Support Specialist and BDPA Memphis member, is interviewed on the Business Compute-N-Show by host Nancy Ford.

View the full televised interview here.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, 9/2/2008 (Will Bundy, Denise Holland)


Health Care Service Corporation Named "The Best Place in the Country to Work for Blacks in Technology". Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) was recently named the best place in the country to work for blacks in technology by National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) and WorkplaceDiversity.com.

Read the full BlueCross BlueShield press release here.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Network World, 9/1/2008 (Larry Quinlan)


How Deloitte's IT Team Has Gone Green. Saving on energy costs is obviously a good thing, but to Larry Quinlan, CIO at the consulting firm Deloitte LLP, green IT simply makes good business sense. "If you run green IT right, you will end up with a vastly superior IT organization," Quinlan said during his keynote address at the recent Network World IT Roadmap event in Atlanta, in which he described green IT as one of five technologies that will change IT. From reducing demand for IT resources to thin laptops, Quinlan has no shortage of ideas on how to make green IT deliver on multiple fronts.

Read the full media story here.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Earth Times, 8/26/08 (Health Care Service Corporation, Will Bundy, Brian Hedberg, Denise Holland)

Health Care Service Corporation Named Best Company for Blacks in Technology. Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) has been named the best place in the country for blacks in technology. The prestigious Epsilon Award is given annually by the National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) and WorkplaceDiversity.com. Finalists for the award included top companies such as Allstate, Merck, State Farm, Wal-Mart, WellPoint and Wells Fargo Bank...

Read the full media story here.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 8/19/08 (Nat Calvert, Yaa Kwansa, Ahmed Mahamad, Lauren Pemberton, Kunle Roberts, Adwait Walimbe)

Student Programming Team Brings Home Another Win. Call it a dynasty. Five Rochester students recently returned from Atlanta, where they won a national computer programming competition earlier this month -- the third time since 2005 the group has won and the sixth time since 2003 they have reached at least second place.

Read the full media story here.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

KTTC Rochester, 8/10/08 (Zack Garbow)


BDPA National Competition. A few other local high school students have reason to brag this afternoon.Five students from the Black Data Processing Associates traveled to Atlanta, Georgia this past week for the National BDPA High School Computer Competition. The group returned to Rochester today...

Read the full media story here. View the full video clip here.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

AAUW of North Carolina, 8/9/2008 (BDPA Charlotte)

What is the state STEM project? Local AAUW Branches, High Point, Greensboro and Winston-Salem and the Girl Scouts – Tarheel Triad Council, Inc., have created a partnership to pilot “IT TECHS.” The purpose of the project is to encourage high school girls to not only become aware of careers in Information Technology (IT), but to do directed “hands on” skill building activities. The project will be open to girls who reside in the Piedmont-Triad area. The sessions will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for 8 weeks (on alternate Saturdays beginning in October 2008). Advanced classes will be available for those who qualify, culminating in competition in May 2009. Sessions will be directed by the BDPA Charlotte which is composed of IT managers, executives, consultants, web developers, and programmers.

Read the full media story here.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

YouTube, 8/6/2008 (Mario Armstrong, Denise Holland)

Denise Holland * National BDPA President (2008-2009). Denise Holland is the national BDPA president. In this interview she shares her thoughts on the 30th annual BDPA Technology Conference as well as insights for young people. The interview is conducted by Mario Armstrong.



The video produced by Kevin Jones (Visual Propaganda)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

SlideShare, 7/26/2008 (John Hoffler)

BDPA-AAUW IT Techs: Partnerships in Education. This presentation was made by BDPA Charlotte member John Hoffler on in July 2008.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

HR World, 7/8/2008 (Milt Haynes, Denise Holland)

2008 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology. The 2008 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology were announced yesterday by the National Black Data Processing Associates, and WorkplaceDiversity.com. Without further ado: Allstate Insurance, Eli Lilly and Company, Health Care Service Corporation, HSBC North America, Merck and Company, Monsanto, State Farm Insurance, Wal-Mart Stores, WellPoint and Wells Fargo Bank.

Read the full media story here.

Monday, July 7, 2008

TradingMarkets.com, 7/7/2008 (Milt Haynes, Denise Holland, Brian Hedberg)

National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com Announce Winners of the 2008 Best Companies for Blacks In Technology Award. The National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com, the source for diversity talent, announced Allstate Insurance, Eli Lilly and Company, Health Care Service Corporation, HSBC North America, Merck and Company, Monsanto, State Farm Insurance, Wal-Mart Stores, WellPoint and Wells Fargo Bank as the winners of the 2008 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award..

Read the full media story here.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

HPCwire, 7/2/2008 (Jesse Bemley, Bryan Bemley)

A High Performance Education: Students Explore the Impact of Supercomputing at TeraGrid '08. A record number of high school and college students from around the country participated in advanced computing competitions during the third annual TeraGrid conference, making it the most successful TeraGrid conference yet in encouraging young people to enter careers in high-performance computing, scientific visualization, and grid computing...

Read the full media story here.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, June/July 2008 (Denise Holland, Anita Vega)

BDPA Stages Its Thirtieth National Conference in Atlanta. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) will throw itself an anniversary party at its thirtieth national conference in Atlanta on August 6-9. It’s the fourth conference the organization has held in the Peachtree City; previous events were in 1986, 1996 and 1999.

Read the full media story here.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Petersburg People's News, 6/27/2008 (BDPA Richmond)

Petersburg Middle Schools Take Up BDPA Challenge for First Time. The Richmond Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) presented the Middle School Computer Terminology Quiz Bowl on May 24, at the Times Dispatch Building in Mechanicsville. Students from Vernon Johns and Peabody middle schools in Petersburg were excited to represent Petersburg City Public Schools in this event for the first time. Teams had to answer questions about Computer Science and Technology, in a Jeopardy game show-style competition, testing their quick recall of very detailed, technical information...

Read the full media story here.

Friday, June 20, 2008

BlackStudents.com, 6/20/2008 (BDPA Foundation)

BDPA Scholarships For Black Technology Students. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit charity, founded in 1992 to support the education and technical programs of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA)...

Read the full media story here.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Cincinnati.com, 6/8/2008 (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPA Cincinnati Chapter Hosts and Wins Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition. The Black Data Processing Associates Cincinnati Chapter (BDPA) hosted this year's Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event drew representation from the following BDPA chapters: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indiana and Tennessee. This year, the Cincinnati Team C.H.A.O.S. (Cincinnati Holds All Opposition Speechless) placed 1st, beating out 10 other chapter team representatives...

Read the full media story here.

Monday, June 2, 2008

TeraGrid News Room, 6/2/08 (Jesse Bemley)

Dr. Jesse Bemley Named Recipient of the Geraldine P. Woods Science Award. Dr. Jesse Bemley is a leader in the Washington DC Area science and engineering community who has used his vast knowledge, skills and personal contacts to improve the lives of youth in Washington DC. As the president and founder of the nonprofit community based K-12 program, Joint Education Facilities, Inc. (JEF) Dr. Bemley has assisted more than 400 students in pursing undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, math, computer science, and advanced mathematics.

Read the full media story here.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

NJ.com, 5/31/2008 (BDPA New Jersey)

Technology Day comes to Newark. Interested in taking part in a family-friendly event designed to empower city youth by raising their knowledge of technology? If so, the Third Annual Families in Technology Day may be just what you're looking for.

Read the rest of the article here.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 5/30/2008 (Lauren Pemberton)

2008 Lourdes top students. Lauren Pemberton, daughter of John and Elise Pemberton, participated in Math League, RYSA soccer, choir, Lourdes theater productions, the Youth Computer Training Program by Black Data Processing Associates, mentored at Mayo Clinic Bio-imaging Resource Lab and was an editor for the school newspaper...

Read the full media story here.

Friday, May 2, 2008

SlideShare, 5/2/2008 (Curtis Jenkins)

Forming a BDPA Corporate Advisory Council (CAC). Past BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Curtis Jenkins gave a presentation entitled, 'Forming a Corporate Advisory Council', at the NBOD Training Retreat held on 5/2/2008 in Philadelphia PA.



SlideShare, 5/2/2008 (Milt Haynes)

Milt Haynes

'One BDPA' Corporate Sponsorship Program. Past national BDPA president Milt Haynes gave a presentation entitled, 'One BDPA Corporate Sponsorship Program', at the NBOD Training Retreat held on 5/2/2008 in Philadelphia PA.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

SlideShare, 4/24/2008 (Wayne Hicks)


Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), made a presentation at the April 2008 program meeting hosted by BDPA Washington DC chapter. He tried to share his answer to the question, "Why BDPA in Washington DC?"

Here is the slideshow presentation that he used that night:


Saturday, April 19, 2008

Cincinnati IT - An Andy Erickson Blog, 4/19/2008 (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPA 2008 Career Panel Discussion. Thursday, Chuck Clevenger, Seapine Software’s corporate recruiter, and I had the privilege to meet with the local BDPA membership at the Fifth Third’s operations facilities. We discussed career trends as well as resume and interview subject matter. This is the third consecutive year the BDPA has invited me to participate. Hopefully I actually add value to the group The evening took us in a number of directions as we centered mostly on how to give and give, and through giving reaping the benefits of what goes around comes around...

Read the full media story here.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Business Courier of Cincinnati, 4/14/2008 (Wayne Hicks)


Wayne Hicks leaving Cincinnati Business Incubator. Cincinnati Business Incubator President and CEO Wayne Hicks said Monday he's leaving the incubator to "take on my next great challenge." Hicks, in an e-mail, said he'll continue his work as executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation, an arm of the BDPA (Black Data Professionals Associates) trade group, and continue his consulting business, focusing on helping nonprofits and small businesses grow via better marketing.

Read the rest of the Cincinnati Business Courier story here.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Feb/Mar 2008 (Amber Arthur)

You Have to Know a Lot to Work With Data. Amber Arthur has been with Walgreens (Deerfield, IL) for two years. "I wanted a data modeling position in healthcare because it's a dynamic, ever-changing field and requires a more complex dimension of modeling."

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Feb/Mar 2008 (Douglas Porter)

IT Continues to Expand Its Role in Healthcare. In the not too distant future, when a doctor examines a patient to find the cause of an illness the patient will be examined virtually as well as physically, says Douglas V. Porter. Porter heads the Mayo Image Studio team at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)...

[NOTE: Douglas served as president of BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter in 2007-2008]

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Feb/Mar 2008 (Michael Robinson)

Microsoft's Michael Robinson: Helmsman for the World's IT Giant. From his professional IT work in Dubai in the UAE to his private venture to build a school in Cameroon in Central Africa, it’s Michael D. Robinson’s personal mission to improve the world around him...

[NOTE: Michael Robinson was BDPA New York chapter president in 1988-1989 and a founding director of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation].

Read the full media story here.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Voice Newspaper, 2/20/2008 (BDPA Richmond)

Richmond Black Data Processing Associates. The Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates kicked off its 2008 Middle School Computer Terminology Quiz Bowl and High School Computer Competition on February 16th...

Read the full media story here.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Dec 2007/Jan 2008 (Lori Walker)

IT Giant Compuware Knows the Value of Human Capital. Lori Walker, director of diversity, emphasizes the importance of maintaining an inclusive environment. “We have a mandatory employee inclusion training program,” she says. “We have built relationships with professional, community and minority organizations throughout the world to enhance our search for the best talent in the industry...

Read the full media story here.