Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 12/21/2011 (Monica Anderson, BDPA Twin Cities)

Dr. Monica Anderson

Black Data Processing Associates Celebrates Innovative Young People. BDPA Twin Cities will hold its Seventh Annual Awards Ceremony on Friday, January 6, at Metropolitan Ballroom, 5418 Wayzata Boulevard, Golden Valley. There will be a reception at 5:30 pm and dinner at 7 pm. The theme for this year’s event is “Ignite, Inspire & Empower: The GPS of Future Technologists.”

The keynote speaker will be Monica Anderson. In 2007, Anderson graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering and is now an assistant professor in the computer science department at the University of Alabama. She is the creator of PREOP, a program which allows computer science novices to program robots graphically using an intuitive object-based interface.

Click here to see the rest of the Spokesman-Recorder article.

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp (2012)

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp (2012)

View more documents from Wayne Hicks

Diversity/Careers Magaine, 12/1/2011 (Vincent Shorter)

At Monsanto, Retired LTC Vincent Shorter Directs US Business Apps. Vincent Shorter, director of U.S. IT business applications service delivery and support at agricultural company Monsanto (St. Louis, MO), has the "Thirteen Rules of Leadership" of four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell hanging on his office wall. "It can be done" is Shorter's personal favorite ... While in the army Shorter earned a 1995 MS in information and business management from Webster University (St. Louis, MO). He's now a member of African Americans in Monsanto (AAIM) and Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA, Largo, MD).

Read the full Diversity/Careers article.

BlackMoney Worldwide, 11/28/11 (Jacqueline Anderson)

Job Separation Trend Runs Counter to Market. Jacqueline S. Anderson had been used to high ratings as a technology manager in the financial industry for 30 years, but once she spoke up about what she saw as mistreatment of one of her subordinates, that changed.  After the technology manager at Charles Schwab filed a discrimination claim with the California Dept. of Fair Employment and a lawsuit in Superior Court, she was abruptly terminated.

Read the rest of the BlackMoney Worldwide article.

NOTE: Jacqueline Anderson is a member of our BDPA Bay Area chapter

South Florida Caribbean News, 11/4/2011 (Larry Quinlan)

Three Jamaicans To Be Honored At Annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards. The Institute of Caribbean Studies will recognize the outstanding accomplishments of three Jamaicans at the 18th Annual Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards on Friday, Nov. 11th at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC ... Larry Quinlan, Chief Information Officer for Deloitte LLP, will receive the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Corporate America.

NOTE: Larry Quinlan is a BETF board member.

Read the rest of the South Florida Caribbean News.

Network World, 11/17/2011 (Earl Pace)

IT Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations. IT trade group CompTIA is now accepting nominations for its 2012 IT Hall of Fame inductees. The hall recognizes IT Innovators and IT Channel stars. The Class of 2011 included Phil Katz, creator of the .zip file format, as well as Earl Pace, founder of Black Data Processing Associates. The CompTIA A+ Originators, those who developed a key certification program, entered the IT Channel wing of the hall this year.

Read the rest of the Network World article.

Comcast Newsmakers, 11/17/2011 (Perry Carter)

Selling the Free State, 11/15/2011 (Mario Armstrong)

Maryland's Digital Ambassador. Like a musician serenading his fans; a pastor rallying his congregation; or a coach motivating his team, watching Mario Armstrong deftly move around a packed auditorium at UMBC Sunday evening was both inspirational and motivational.

Hugging friends and colleagues, coaxing audience participation and preaching passion and ‘positivity’ – the Maryland-based “Digital Lifestyle Expert” – a regular contributor to CNN, NPR and NBC – attracted 300+ people at the end of a long holiday weekend in the name of technology, innovation and opportunity.

Read the rest of the 'Selling the Free State' blog post.

BlackMoney Worldwide, 11/15/2011 (Juan Gilbert)

Clemson's Gilbert Receives Presidential Mentoring Honor, Election Contract. Dr. Juan E. Gilbert, Chair of Human-Centered Computing in the College of Computing at Clemson University, has gained attention from President Obama for his work to increase the number of underrepresented students in math, engineering and science. Gilbert's many discoveries include the African-American Multiple Learning Styles integrated learning system, with a prototype designed to teach algebra in a culturally-responsive way. He was also selected this summer to lead a three-year $4.5 million contract with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to create accessible voting technology. He is developer of the Prime III universal voting machine, which he presented on during the 10th annual Innovation and Equity symposium in San Francisco in 2010.

Read the rest of the BlackMoney Worldwide article.

The White House, 11/15/2011 (Juan Gilbert)

President Obama Honors Outstanding Science, Math, and Engineering Mentors. President Obama today named nine individuals and eight organizations recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. The mentors will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, awarded by the White House to individuals and organizations, recognizes the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science and engineering—particularly those who belong to groups that are underrepresented in these fields. By offering their expertise and encouragement, mentors help prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers while ensuring that tomorrow’s innovators reflect and benefit from the diverse talent of the United States.

One of the award winners is BDPA Greater Columbia member Dr. Juan Gilbert (Clemson University).

See the full list of honorees on the White House website.

CNN, 11/12/2011 (Lisa Chambers, Wayne Hicks, Wesley Williams)

Wesley Williams

Building More Minority Engineers, As Early as Elementary School. As a young teen, Wesley Williams believed his only career option was to work at a local warehouse in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

“I wasn’t planning on going to college, I wasn’t planning on graduating high school, I was planning on doing nothing with my life,” he said.

Now, nearly 10 years later, he is a college graduate and an IT administrator and developer.

“I would be either dead or in jail," he said. "Those would have been my options had it not been for BDPA.”

BDPA, formerly known as the Black Data Processing Associates, is a non-profit organization founded to increase the number of minorities in information technology related industries.

In high school, Williams had no interest in academics and spent most of his time hanging out with the wrong crowd. His mother pushed him to join the local BDPA chapter. There, he discovered a love for technology.

Read the rest of the CNN.com article here.

IT Business Net, 11/8/2011 (Terence Hall)

Why IT Drives Success in Business. Combine all the belt-tightening in a down economy with an increasing shift toward the cloud, and you might think IT isn’t as relevant today to small business as it was just a few years ago. But in fact, IT is a critical component to driving success, especially given the growing number of malware and other threats, an increased reliance on mobility, and adoption of more consumer devices into almost every business.

“Not investing in IT infrastructure or applications is a mistake,” says Terence Hall, communications coordinator and senior network engineer at BDPA New York, a nonprofit organization for professionals in computer science and IT. “There can be a large expenditure for maintaining IT, but many companies are now offering lower-cost solutions for SMBs. And if software licensing is an issue, open-source software is a great solution.”

Read the rest of the IT Business Net article.

Salisbury Post, 10/27/2011 (Damein Greatheart, Kenneth Lennon, Milton Pearson, Trevor Stuart, John Thomas)

Grant Seeks to Get More High School Girls Interested in Technology. It’s no secret that there aren’t enough women in the technology field.

But Livingstone College hopes to change that.

The college’s Black Data Processing Associates chapter, or BDPA, has been awarded a $500 grant from the National Center for Women & Information Technology to raise awareness and interest in technology among high school girls. The grant’s official name is Return Path Student Seed Fund.

Read the rest of the Salisbury Post article.

Rochest Post-Bulletin, 10/24/2011 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

Business Networking and Educational Opportunities. AM Espresso, a monthly business networking breakfast event sponsored by the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, will run from 7:30 a.m to 9 a.m. on November 4th at 3050 Superior Drive 1900 Ballington Boulevard N.W. in Rochester. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) of Southern Minnesota are The Homestead is hosting this month's gathering.

Soulclap to the Rochester Post-Bulletin for sharing this event information.

The Temple News, 10/2/2011 (Brianna Edwards)

People You Should Know: Brianna Edwards. Not to be overshadowed by the endless number of organizations at Main Campus is the Queer Student Union, which is deeply involved in the GLBT community both inside and outside of Temple. Sophomore advertising major Brianna Edwards holds the position of QSU president and is hoping the organization has an extremely successful year. The Temple News sat down with Edwards to talk about her involvement in QSU and what events organization members have planned for the school year and about National Coming Out Week.

Read the rest of the Temple News interview with Brianna.


NOTE: Brianna Edwards participated in the 2006, 2008 and 2009 national BDPA High School Computer Competition championships as a member of teams trained by BDPA Philadelphia chapter.

Diversity/Careers Magaine, 10/1/2011 (2011 BDPA Conference)

BDPA Career Fair: The GPS of Future Technologists.  BDPA held its thirty-third national technology conference in Chicago this past August, drawing attendees from chapters across the United States.  They were joined by a roster of top technology companies and organizations in a powerful two-day career fair.

Read the full Diversity/Careers article and enjoy over two-dozen photos from the conference.

Diversity/Careers Magaine, 10/1/2011 (Pamela Sexton)

2011 BDPA Conference Offers Guidance & Inspiration. The thirty-third annual national BDPA technology conference and career fair brought more than 700 IT pros, students and corporate supporters together in Chicago this summer. They spent four days attending seminars, panel discussions and awards presentations, and of course they also enjoyed plenty of opportunities for networking.

The conference's Chicago location drew attendees from chapters across the country, as well as a surge of last-minute interest from local job seekers and companies, says conference director Pamela Sexton, an IT exec at HSBC Bank and president of the host Chicago chapter.

Read the rest of the Diversity/Careers article.

PBS News Hour, 9/28/2011 (Milt Haynes)

Inequality Hurts: The Unhealthy Side of Economic Disparity. As part of our series on economic inequality, Paul Solman investigates the health effects that inequality can have on individuals and society. To determine the hidden costs, he speaks with epidemiologists, former six-figure income earners who are chronically unemployed and poor teenagers who struggle with inequality each day.

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Creating IT Futures Blog, 9/27/2011 (Khalia Braswell, Stephanie Brown, Julius Clark, David Gottlieb, Reginald Jamerson, Dennis Rankin)

Julius Clark

It's Time to Show IT Off. The thing is, if material success is important to a person, then a kid could do a lot worse than to follow a career in information technology (IT). For example, it was recently reported that mobile app developers are pulling in six figures — whether they had a college degree or not.

Six figures for someone in their 20s! Hey, that seems like rap star status to me.

Julius Clark thinks so, too. Clark is the president of the Charlotte (N.C.) Chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), a professional technology organization formed in 1975. I was introduced to Julius over the summer when Creating IT Futures Foundation partnered with BDPA's own foundation to award $10,000 in scholarships.

Read the full Creating IT Futures Blog post.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 9/21/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)

BDPA Twin Cities Place 5th at National Computer Competition. The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago.

The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS). The Twin Cities Chapter High School Competition Team took fifth place out of 45 teams. The Rochester team won first place, Detroit team placed second, Columbus, Ohio team placed third, and the Atlanta team placed fourth.

Read the rest of the  Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

The Atlanta Post, 9/13/2011 (Kai Dupé)

Why Technology Networks Are Critical for African Americans.  The lack of support networks has been identified as a critical aspect to involving more African Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  While I agree that this is very important, I do not agree that African Americans lack technology support groups.  I assert that the problem is that the African American community at large is not aware of the networks that do exist.

There are three that I have worked with over the years. I am sure there are others and I am even more certain that most of our people, particularly our young people are not aware of these groups.  I know this because I do quite a bit of public speaking around the country.  When I ask students if they are familiar with The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), BiTWiSE, or Blacks In Technology the answer is invariably no.

Read the rest of The Atlanta Post article.

Mason Pulse-Journal, 9/11/2011 (BDPA Cincinnati)

Margo Springs "Keynote Speaker" for Sixteenth Annual BDPA Awards Banquet. BDPA Cincinnati announced that Margo Springs, Chief Information Officer, City of Cincinnati, is keynote speaker for this year's banquet, addressing the theme “Ignite, Inspire, & Empower – The GPS of Future Technologists”.

Read the rest of the Mason Pulse-Journal article.

IT Martini, 9/6/2011 (Ricardo Wilkins)

Top Three Ways to Build Your IT Community. As IT Professionals, we spend many years developing our crafts and investing in our careers. Along the way, we have all been fortunate enough to get help from many sources, including colleagues and mentors who decided to take the time to share their knowledge and experience with us.

As a result, we grow in our profession. Most of us inevitably ask the question – what can I do to give back and make the same investment in others someone made in me? Fortunately, there are many ways in which we can ‘return the favor’ in the IT Community while making a positive impact on our industry.

Read the rest of this IT Martini article.

South Florida Caribbean News, 9/6/2011 (Larry Quinlan)

Honorees Named for 18th Annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards Gala. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) director Larry Quinlan is among the individuals that will be honored by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) at the 18th Annual Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards Gala on November 11, 2011. The elegant affair recognizes individuals of Caribbean descent of accomplished and emerging stature in their field of expertise or who have made outstanding contributions to the community. Larry Quinlan is the Chief Information Officer for Deloitte, a professional services organization. His expertise has helped the company develop and implement a globally recognized strategy to address technology use, application, infrastructure and execution. He serves on the US Executive Committee and chairs the global CIO Council. He will receive the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Corporate America.

Read the full South Florida Caribbean News article.

BDPAtoday Newsletter, 9/1/2011 (BDPA Washington DC)

Newsletter: BDPA Washington DC (Sep 2011)

View more documents from Wayne Hicks

CompTIA Blog, 8/31/2011 (Stephanie Brown, Charles Eaton, Wayne Hicks)

Two Foundations Team Up to Provide Scholarships for Talented Minority Students. By the time she had graduated from Stanford University, Stephanie Brown had already completed internships with Fortune 500 companies Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Deloitte. She was only 21. Getting connected with BDPA in high school put Stephanie Brown on a learning track that led to a managing stint at Microsoft.

Says Brown: “Here I had all these awesome role models. It was a turning point in my life.”

Brown attributes much of her success to an organization that has been quietly helping African American students succeed going on four decades. Today with chapters in more than 40 cities, the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) has been helping middle school and high school students develop interest and acumen in technology fields such as IT in which minorities (and women, for that matter) tend to be under-represented.

Read the full CompTIA Blog post.

PR.com, 8/17/2011 (Renetta English, Earl Pace)

BDPA New York Honored as 2011 Chapter of the Year.  BDPA New York was awarded the 2011 Chapter of the Year Award at the 2011 National BDPA Conference Awards Gala at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago, IL. The award was presented by BDPA co-founder Earl Pace. Accepting on behalf of the chapter was current BDPA New York chapter president Renetta English, who was both "ignited and inspired" by the win, referring to the 2011 Conference theme: Ignite, Inspire & Empower.

Read the rest of the PR.com press release.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 8/15/2011 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

Data Processing Group Continues Its Winning Ways. By any measure, they have become an almost dynastic presence in national high school computer competitions. This year has been no different. For the fifth consecutive year and sixth out of seven years, five Rochester students representing the Southern Minnesota chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates claimed first-place in a high school contest that featured 19 teams from across the U.S. The southern Minnesota team won with a score of 871 points, followed by Detroit's 807 points and Columbus (OH)'s 628 points. In three of the nine years that BDPA Southern Minnesota didn't win the competition, it came in second place.

Read the rest of the Rochester Post-Bulletin article.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 8/12/2011 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

Rochester Students Win National Computer Competition -- Again. BDPA Southern Minnesota stands for Black Data Processing Associates-Southern Minnesota. It's not the easiest name to remember, but the five high school students who represented the team at this year's national competition make it difficult to forget.

For the fifth consecutive year and sixth out of seven years, the Rochester team took first place in a national contest that measures computer skills. The highlight of the competition is a seven-hour programming project. This year, students were required to create a web application to allow customers to configure and purchase computer orders based on an inventory of electronic parts from multiple vendors.

Click here to read the rest of the Rochester Post-Bulletin article.

Cincinnati.com, 8/10/2011 (BDPA Cincinnati)

Cincinnati HSCC team with their coach Deborah Jackson

BDPA Cincinnati Takes Culturally Diverse Students to National High School Computer Competition Championship in Chicago. Stock market gyrations, debt ceiling debates and the worries over the upcoming Cincinnati Bengals football season have dominated local headlines in recent weeks. Few in our city were focused on the remarkable achievements of Cincinnati-area high school students in a national computer programming competition, or appreciate the training it takes to excel in this intellectual effort.

So the 13th-place finish of Cincinnati's team (out of 45 BDPA chapters) in the National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship sponsored by BDPA didn't draw a lot of attention. But the four team members went through a comprehensive training program with the local BDPA chapter before they pitted their skills against other teams at the national BDPA technology conference in Chicago.

Read the rest of the Cincinnati.com article.

Rix Bits, 8/7/2011 (BDPA Columbus)

BDPA Columbus Earns 3rd Place in National Competition! The results are in! As we close out the 33rd Annual BDPA National Conference and High School Computer Competition, I’m proud to announce that the BDPA Columbus high school team scored THIRD PLACE this year out of 19 participating teams!

Read the rest of the Rix Bits article.

CyberLife Tutors, 7/26/2011 (April Williams)

Black Data Processing Associates Conference Features April M. Williams. The 2011 National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology conference will feature April M. Williams, an executive coach and author of “Social Networking Throughout Your Career.” She will present two sessions, 'Creating Buzz Marketing for Professionals' and 'Facebook: Your Chapter PR Friend.'

During these 90 minute sessions, BDPA conference attendees will engage in interactive sessions to promote their professional careers using social networking tools. As a result of these presentations, participants will be armed to promote themselves effectively in the marketplace and demonstrate the value of their skills.

“The days of passive job career management are gone. By using technology to expand our professional networking, we can leverage our connections to reach out to the key people in our industry,” said April M. Williams. “By building bridges and crafting succinct on-target messages, we can market our best qualities.”

Read the rest of the CyberLife Tutors article.

BDPA iRadio Show, 7/26/2011 (Franne McNeal, Michael Robinson)

BDPA iRadio Show interviewed Michael Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft on July 26, 2011.

Michael encouraged BDPA members to recognize the leadership development opportunities that BDPA provides as we are moving up the corporate ladder at our workplace. He also shared the concept of diversity dexterity with the audience and noted it was important in his most recent 4-year stint working for Microsoft on the African continent and beyond.

The interview was conducted by Franne McNeal.

Applause Africa, 7/22/2011 (BDPA New York)

The spotlight was on Innovating Our Future at BDPA New York’s 15th Annual Scholarship and Awards Dinner, held Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at event sponsor UBS’s 299 Park Ave office in New York, NY. For 15 years, the chapter, founded in 1982, has held the awards dinner to recognize the achievements of BDPA New York’s students as well as honor its community supporters and corporate sponsors. This year, the chapter also debuted its newly created Small Business Innovator (SBI) award, recognizing innovative IT entrepreneurship in the NYC community, and Member of the Year award, recognizing the contributions of one outstanding chapter member.

Read the rest of the Applause Africa article (including a number of event photographs!)

BDPA iRadio Show, 7/12/2011 (Franne McNeal, Earl Pace)

BDPA iRadio Show interviewed Earl Pace (Founder BDPA; Chairman of the Board BDPA Education and Technology Foundation; CEO Pace Data Systems) on July 12, 2011. BDPA was created by Earl Pace over 35 years ago. Earl has also been on the BETF board since it was founded in 1992. During this interview he shares his insights on the organization's past and his vision for the future.

The host of BDPA iRadio Show is Franne McNeal.

The show is sponsored by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Applause Africa, July 1, 2011 (Renetta English, Damon Holmes)

BDPA Celebrates Black History Month by Presenting Black Family Technology Awareness Week. On February 26th, Abundant Life Christian Center, Brooklyn, hosted the New York Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates – BDPA’s annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week. It featured a series of workshops geared toward the benefit of both the youth and adults. The workshops included Cyber Security/Cyber Bullying, Careers in the Gaming Industry, Youth IT Showcase, etc.

When asked why they host the event, Co-Chair of BDPA-NY, Damon Holmes said, “We feel it is our responsibility to reinvest in our communities by sharing information and providing interest in areas that can benefit us [the African American community] as a whole. Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW) is a national public awareness campaign. It is designed to educate and empower African Americans through technology by preparing our communities to become an integral part of the fastest-moving industry of all time.”

Read the rest of the Applause African article.

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 6/30/2011 (Monique Berry, Milt Haynes, Wayne Hicks, Curtis Jenkins, Pamela Sexton)

BDPA Will "Ignite, Inspire and Empower" This Summer in Chicago. The thirty-third annual Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology Conference and Career Expo promises exciting new features in addition to the panels, workshops and competitions attendees have enjoyed in past years. It will be held August 3 to 6 at the Hilton Chicago, located downtown on the Michigan Avenue Cultural Mile.

Read the rest of the Diversity/Careers article.

Examiner.com, 6/29/2011 (BDPA Baton Rouge)

BDPA HSCC Scholarship Fund. Future workers will have to be technology-savvy before entering the workforce. Yet, for many schools there is the digital divide. This divide is caused by the pre-existing socioeconomic divide in this country coupled with the cost of acquiring and maintain new technologies. In addressing the digital divide in schools grants such as the Technology Innovation Challenge Grants and Technology Literacy Challenge Grants were created and the government, private business and non-profit organizations made strides towards to ensure equal education. One of many organization in the Baton Rouge area that recognizes this is the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. This group has been in existence since 1992 and has worked to provide community youth with educational programs to guide them down a path of success in a technology career.

Read the rest of the Examiner.com article.

YouTube, 6/15/2011 (Renetta English)

BDPA NY Scholarship and Awards Dinner Invitation. BDPA New York chapter president Renetta English invites you to attend upcoming chapter banquet.






Visit the BDPA New York YouTube channel.

Cincinnati.com, 6/13/2011 (Wanda Gray, Joseph Parker)

Cincinnati students excel at BDPA Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition.  BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom, stepped up to the challenge by hosting a BDPA Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and IT Showcase held at Cincinnati State Technical College on June 11, 2011.

Students from Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit and Los Angeles gathered for an opportunity to compete in oral exams, written tests, presentations and web-based design/programming projects.

Read the full Cincinnati.com recap of the Midwest Regional event.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 6/10/2011 (Kris-Ann Hinds)

Century Grad Battles Illness on Her Way to Graduation. When Kris-Ann Hinds graduates from Century High School today, her accomplishment will go well beyond passing grades and test scores. Hinds has remained committed to living life her way, despite being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last year. The qualities that defined her before her illness - determined, optimistic, sharp-witted - continue to shine, if not more brightly, like her smile.

Read the full Rochester Post-Bulletin article.

NOTE: Kris-Ann Hinds is a member of the defending national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship team trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota.

Temple University, 6/9/2011 (Howard James)

Philadelphia Neighborhoods: Tea Attracts a New Audience With Local Shop. Assistant vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is a far cry from running a small business focused on organic tea. Howard James, the owner and operator of Tea Country, saw an opportunity to make the leap from corporate America to small business proprietor. After an MBA project at Eastern University steered him in the direction of fine loose-leaf teas, his passion grew for the product. Although information technology is vastly different from brewing green tea, Howard’s love for his work in both fields has contributed to his success.

Read the rest of this Philadelphia Neighborhoods article.

NOTE: Howard James is one of the original charter members of National BDPA and a past president of BDPA Philadelphia chapter.

ComputerUser, 6/2/2011 (BDPA New York)

New York Chapter of BDPA to Host 15th Annual Scholarship & Awards Dinner. The New York Chapter of BDPA announced today that it will host its 15th Annual Scholarship & Awards Dinner, on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm, at UBS, 299 Park Ave, New York, NY. The purpose of the dinner, sponsored by UBS, is to recognize the outstanding contributions of BDPA New York’s 2010-2011 corporate sponsors as well as award scholarships to the chapter\'s student participants of BDPA’s Student Information Technology Education Scholarship (SITES) program. SITES is a program designed to develop the next generation of IT Professionals, and encourage African American youths to explore careers in such traditionally underrepresented fields as Computer Science and Information Technology. To date, the New York Chapter has awarded over $50,000 to deserving New York City area students to pursue their college educations. The chapter will also honor the first recipients of the newly created Small Business Innovator (SBI) and Outstanding Member awards.

Read the full ComputerUser article.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, 6/1/2011 (Renetta English)

BDPA New York President Honored. In celebration of Women's History Month, Renetta English, president of the BDPA New York chapter, was awarded the Chairman's Organizational Leadership Award as an honoree at the tenth annual salute to professional women of the Professionals Network Organization (TPNO, New York, NY) on March 24, 2011. The award program, first implemented in 2001, is given yearly to recognize people working for a better quality of life in the New York City community.

Read the full Diversity/Careers article.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, 6/1/2011 (Earl Pace)

Earl Pace joins IT Hall of Fame. Earl Pace, founder of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), has been elected to the Innovators Wing of the IT Hall of Fame.  CompTIA, the nonprofit trade association considered "the voice of the world's information technology industry," honored the inductees at its annual member meeting in Chicago on April 7.

Read the rest of Diversity/Careers article.

PR Newswire, 6/1/2011 (Monique Berry, Yvette Graham)

National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com, the source for diversity talent, announced Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, BlueCross BlueShield of IL, NM, OK, & TX, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Northrop Grumman, State Farm Insurance, Wal-Mart Stores, WellPoint and Wells Fargo as the winners of the 2011 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award.

"These companies deserve special recognition for promoting a significant number of African Americans into their IT management ranks and for their outstanding community outreach and minority vendor programs," said National BDPA President, Yvette Graham.

Read the full PRNewswire story.

EWF News, 5/26/2011 (Wayne Hicks)

Wayne Hicks

The Demand for CS and IT Talent Is On The Rise. Wayne Hicks, executive director of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (College Park, MD), cautions graduates to keep in mind that lifelong learning is a reality.

"When you graduate, you are not done with the learning process," he says. "Graduates need to continue learning to remain competitive, whether that's through certifications or returning to school."

Hicks urges minorities to do their homework when job hunting. "Investigate the company's stance on diversity," he says. "Are there people that look like you represented throughout the organization, particularly in upper management and in hiring roles?"

Read the full Executive Women's Forum (EWF) News article.

EURweb, 5/26/2011 (Larry Quinlan, Michael Robinson)

Audrey’s Society Whirl: New York Urban League Bestows Prestigious Frederick Douglass Awards. Since its inception in 1965, the New York Urban League (NYUL) Frederick Douglass awards dinner has recognized a wide range of private and public-sector leaders including Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Dr. Betty Shabazz, Russell Simmons and Bud Selig, whose contributions have helped break down racial obstacles and promote opportunities for the less fortunate ... Larry Quinlan, chief information officer, Deloitte LLP served as gala chair.

Shown in the photo are Jean-Marie Horovitz, Noel Hankin, Ed Goldberg, H. Sidney Holmes III, Rahshib Thomas, Glenn Rice, honorees Cora Weiss and David N. Dinkins, New York Urban League president & CEO Arva R. Rice, honoree Marcus Sameulsson, National Urban League president & CEO Marc Morial, Michael Robinson.

Michael Robinson is past president of BDPA New York chapter and past BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) director.


Larry Quinlan is currently a BETF director.

Read the full EURweb story.

The Web Academy, 5/24/2011 (Eric Hamilton)

Eric Hamilton

SBI Award for The Web Academy.  We are pleased to announce that the City of New York Board of Directors of the National BDPA is honoring the Web Academy (founded by Eric Hamilton) with the Small Business Innovator Award, which shall be presented at the 15th Annual BDPA NY Scholarship and Awards Dinner on Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 at UBS, 299 Park Avenue. The theme for the evening is “Innovating our Future”.

Read the full Web Academy article.

DeniseMpls, 5/23/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)

FREE Technology Camp for Minnesota 8th-12th Graders.  BDPA Twin Cities believes that computer literacy is NOT an “optional” skill. Computer technology is intertwined within the fabric of daily life of most Americans regardless of age, sex, gender, and race. Everyone must have more than a basic understanding of computers.

Read the full DeniseMpls blog post.

Health Care Service Corporation, 5/21/2011 (National BDPA)

Diversity. Our employees are the cornerstone of our business and our workforce reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Ongoing efforts are made to attract, develop and engage our diverse pool ... Key components of diversity and inclusion (D&I) at HCSC include: Employee resource groups (ERGs) – These are voluntary, employee driven groups that support diversity and inclusion goals. These include: African Americans in Motion, Asian American Resource Group, Black Data Processing Associates, Europa, HCSC Pride Alliance, In-Abled, Latinos for Advancement, Supporters of Military Veterans, Voices of Diversity and Women Improving the Strength of the Enterprise (WISE).

Read the full HCSC Diversity story here.

Rix Bits, 5/20/2011 (Ricardo Wilkins)

My Interview With BDPA.  I was recently interviewed by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation regarding my volunteer work teaching web development to youth in the BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC).  It’s part of their Take Five interview series where they interview notable members of the organization.  As you can see from the interview, I find a lot of fulfillment in my work with HSCC. Check out the full interview here.

The Martini Chronicles, 5/17/2011 (Lahesha Williams)

Diva Spotlight. Greetings Divas! I hope that your week has been productive! My week is just about to get better, as I am ready to introduce another fabulous Professional Diva that I have had the pleasure to meet…at least virtually. Today’s diva is Lahesha Williams from Chicago, Illinois. Lahesha, who has a degree in Information Technology (Networking), is an adjunct instructor at a local school’s Business Careers Program. In addition, Lahesha is the founder of Students Empowered, Inc., and Career Help for Christians. Both organizations seek to help individuals in career and professional development. Lahesha has graciously agreed to answer a few questions in the “Haute Seat.” Let’s get to know her better, shall we?!

Read the rest of the Martini Chronicles interview.

NOTE: Lahesha is a past president of the BDPA-DeVry (Chicago) chapter.

Rutgers Focus, 5/13/2011 (BDPA New Jersey)

Rutgers Graduate Brings Computer-Literacy Training Initiative to Newark. Kevin Keogh remembers the father who showed up to Tech Saturdays in Harlem a few years ago with his two small children in tow. After a morning of computer-literacy training, the man wore a grateful smile as he was handed a laptop computer to take home, the first the family would own ... Back in 2009, the Edison native told Rutgers-Newark political science professor Mary Segers about the Harlem program, and his desire to jump-start a similar one in Newark. Segers passed the news on to Vice Chancellor Marcia Brown, whose interest was immediately piqued. A committee was formed, with Keogh as the student representative and catalyst. Seven months later, a six-week pilot program was born, in conjunction with Newark Public Schools and the N.J. chapter of Black Data Processing Associates.

Read the full Rutgers Focus article.