Rochester Today, 11/1/2013 (Betty Hutchins, Will Smith)

2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions
BDPA Southern Minnesota

They Have 'IT': BDPA Celebrates the Information Technology Industry - Founded in 1975, BDPA had one goal in mind: to get more minorities involved in the computer science and information technology fields. Nearly 40 years later, those fields have grown dramatically, and BDPA (now with 46 chapters) has followed suit.

On Sept. 8, BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter celebrated its continuing mission with its 14th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet, held at the Rochester Event Center. BDPA is open to everyone -- regardless of race or gender -- interested in the IT industry.

"We help develop many skills, such as working with a team, math and computer skills in addition to soft skills such as presenting yourself to adults and speaking in front of a group." says BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter president Will Smith.

An estimated 140 guests attended, according to Betty Hutchins, founder of the local chapter.

"It was a great celebration", Hutchins said, "Just a great night."

Read the full article along with 9-photo slideshow.

Related articles

• KTTC Rochester, 9/9/2013 (Herchran Singh, BDPA Southern Minnesota)
• CollegeRecruiter.com, 4/24/2013 (Herchran Singh)

Slideshare, 10/17/2013 (Gerald Smith)

Gerald Smith

Cincinnati Blacks In Technology: 'IT Certifications vs Experience vs Degrees'.  Businesses are investing in IT to help leverage existing resources more thoroughly and find hidden nuggets to put to use. For this reason, there are now more jobs in the IT field than we've seen in quite a few years. It’s that inevitable fork in the road for an IT professional. As a result, a lot of folks are starting to take another look at the IT field as a career choice. What are employers looking for? Certifications? Experience? Degrees? Some combination of the three? Which is more valuable? The answer to these questions depends upon many factors. After all, not all IT certifications or college degrees or job experiences are the same.

These are questions that will be addressed by our guest speaker, Gerald Smith. Gerald is a senior manager with Sogeti and an IT professional with a number of important certifications in program management and agile transformation. He has been a hiring manager looking over resumes and job seekers during his management career at Kroger and Luxottica Retail. Gerald is also a long-time BDPA supporter … once serving on the board as BDPA Cincinnati chapter VP-Strategy & Planning.

Here is the 27-page deck that Gerald used during his presentation:

Cincinnati Blacks In Technology: 'IT Certifications vs Experience vs Degrees' from Wayne Hicks

Cincinnati.com, 10/7/2013 (Janaya Coleman, Babacar Guise, Dan Henderson, Clarence Larcarte)

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New Board Leadership. BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, today announced new officers and members of its board of directors. BDPA Cincinnati chapter is the 5th largest (out of 46) chapters in the nation. The chapter meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Read the full Cincinnati.com article.

Black Enterprise, 10/7/2013 (Khalia Braswell)

Digital Undivided Champions Diversity in Tech With FOCUS 100. Digital Undivided isn’t waiting for permission to change the current tech landscape, which is largely (and unapologetically) young, white and male. In fact, Kathryn Finney, managing director at Digital Undivided, mobilized to flip the script, creating the FOCUS 100 technology conference which brings together tech companies with black women founders/co-founders, angel and venture investors, leading corporations and those invested in the future of tech.

Sponsored by Google, the Global Hack allowed students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts alike to code their way to the grand prize, which included $500, Nexus 7 tablets and Rasberry Pi systems. Graduate students Khalia Braswell, Aqueasha Martin and France Jackson, as well as Wanda Eugene, PhD, won the hackathon with an app that allows users to identify healthier ingredients for recipes and places them on a leader board where they will be ranked by others who also have the app. The more points a recipe earns, the greater the reward.

Braswell sent out a celebratory message on Twitter after the win: “We won our first hackathon!!”

Read the entire Black Enterprises article.

NOTE:  Khalia Braswell is a BDPA Charlotte chapter member.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 10/1/2013 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

High Achievers Honored at BDPA Annual Banquet. It was a night of celebration at the BDPA Southern Minnesota's 14th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet on Sept. 8 at the Rochester International Event Center. The Southern Minnesota chapter of the BDPA awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships and numerous awards. BDPA is a global member-focused organization that positions its members at the forefront of the information technology industry. Through an extensive list of mentors and volunteers, BDPA delivers IT to its members, strategic partners and the community, 'from the classroom to the boardroom'.

Read the rest of the Rochester Post-Bulletin article.

Cincinnati.com, 9/11/2013 (Clarence Larcarte)

L-R: Hassani Harrigan, Hadiya Harrigan, Brian Pulliam and Kiese Wamba

BDPA Cincinnati students place 5th in the National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship. The HSCC championships were held during the annual BDPA Technology Conference last month in Washington, D.C. This placement comes after placing 7th in 2012.

BDPA Cincinnati chapter president, Clarence Larcarte (Procter & Gamble), had this to say on the team’s success: “This is the culmination of months of hard work by the students and their instructors. I’m proud that Cincinnati is represented by such brilliant young minds and I know that these students have very bright futures ahead of them.”

Read the full Cincinnati.com article.

KTTC Rochester, 9/9/2013 (Herchran Singh, BDPA Southern Minnesota)

BDPA Southern Minnesota Award Scholarships. Students were recognized at the Black Data Processing Associates Southern Minnesota Chapter awards ceremony at Rochester's International Event Center on Sunday. BDPA is a non-profit organization of professionals working or interested in the IT industry. This year's High School Computer Science Competition team took home first place at the national technology conference in Washington DC last month. Team members were awarded scholarships at the ceremony.

2013 National BDPA HSCC Champions (L-R: Isaac Gullickson,
Preethiya Sekar, Prabhjot Singh, Herchran Singh and Daniel Sheppard)

"I joined because I wanted to learn about computers," said Herchran Singh, BDPA Scholarship Recipient. "Having the award is just a bonus, the knowledge is the real award. The scholarships that come along are just wonderful because they're so helpful. We do need them."

According to members, BDPA Southern Minnesota works nationally to foster relationships with leading companies in the IT industry.

Read the full KTTC Rochester article.

Washington Informer, 8/21/2013 (Monique Berry, Michael Bijou, Francisco Nunez)

BDPA Helps Bridge 'Digital Divide'. The digital revolution in the U.S. was growing 38 years ago. Corporations were replacing electric typewriters with desktop computers. Consumers started purchasing computers for home use. Schools placed computers in classrooms. But in Philadelphia, Pa., Earl Pace and the late David Wimberly, both African Americans, worried that African Americans and other people of color would be left out of the IT (Information Technology) industry.

They founded BDPA, which currently has 45 chapters, including the District’s, and more than 2,000 members. Its ethnically diverse membership includes IT professionals and college students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

“The ‘digital divide’ has become wider” despite BDPA’s efforts, Monique Berry, BDPA’s national president said. “It starts in elementary school, where our children are discouraged from taking the harder sciences. In colleges, our students don’t have mentors in the sciences and IT. BDPA mentors and encourages college students to enter IT.”

Read the rest of the Washington Informer article.

PR.com, 8/17/2013 (Renetta English, Earl Pace)

Renetta English and Earl Pace

BDPA New York Receives Award at the 2013 National Conference. BDPA New York was awarded the National Management Award for the third year in a row at the 2013 National BDPA Conference, in the Washington Hilton, Washington, District of Columbia.

Read the rest of the PR.com press release.

Dreams Keep Me Awake, 7/31/2013 (Khalia Braswell)

Khalia Braswell

White House Tech Inclusion Champion for Change. Watching this live broadcast was very inspiring! Fortunately, I was familiar with quite a few of the organizations on the panel including Black Girls Code, the National Center for Women In Technology (NCWIT) and Digital Undivided.

In 2008, I was a recipient of the Aspirations in Computing Award from the NCWIT. As a result of receiving this award and my involvement with the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) High School Computer Competition, (I was on the 2008 Charlotte team which placed 5th), I will be attending the BDPA Conference in two weeks in DC to sit on a panel for NCWIT!

Read the full Dreams Keep Me Awake blog post.

YouTube, Curtis Jenkins (7/29/2013)

DeVry University Graduation Keynoter. Curtis Jenkins continues to grow as a leader, professional and entrepreneur. He extended his uplifting message to the 2013 graduating class of DeVry University in Philadelphia, PA. Here is the video of his graduation speech.

Cincinnati.com, 7/29/2013 (Hadiya Harrigan)

Hadiya Harrgan

BDPA Partners with Luxottica to Sponsor a High School Student Internship. BDPA Cincinnati announced today that it will partner with the Luxottica group in Mason, OH to provide a high school student with the opportunity to gain experience in a local IT Department. Luxottica has been involved with BDPA Cincinnati for the past several years as a corporate sponsor. This effort will continue to build a strong partnership between these two groups.

Alicia Tidwell, diversity leader for Luxottica Group says, “We view the partnership as a viable resource to source top talent. Our goal is to build a pipeline with BDPA to begin bringing in associates to fill key rolls within our organization.”

Hadiya Harrigan, senior at Seven Hills High School, started her summer internship last week. She will work throughout the summer to implement 300 computers across the school network at Withrow High School. She will be installing software, providing training, and assisting the administration with pre and post conversion support. This summer internship will allow Hadiya to develop her personal and technical skills on an important project for this school and our community.

Read the full Cincinnati.com article.

Houston Business Journal, 7/17/2013 (Craig Brown)

Craig Brown, PhD | People on the Move. Craig Brown, Ph.D., senior partner and CEO of STEM Resource Partners, has been named a winner in The InfoWorld 2013 Technology Leadership Awards' technology deployment category.

Read the full Houston Business Journal article.

NOTE: Dr. Brown is National BDPA vice president.

Cincinnati.com, 6/30/2013 (Hadiya Harrigan, Brian Pulliam)

Hadiya Harrigan

Brian Pulliam

'Reaching for Stars' Leaders Honored. The ninth annual Images of Excellence Corporation’s Reaching for the Stars program Thursday honored 10 high school students and recent graduates during a ceremony at Cincinnati State College. Sallie Elliott, director of the Images of Excellence Corporation, said the ceremony was designed to identify, salute and create awareness of young leaders in Cincinnati's Black community.

“The Awards create a linkage for these young aspirants with established and accomplished leaders in their professions and in the community,” Elliott said. “We want to encourage them to come back to Cincinnati after their educational careers are over and help make Cincinnati great.”

BDPA Cincinnati student members Hadiya Harrigan and Brian Pulliam were both honored with this prestigious award. Read the full article here.

PR.com, 6/13/2013 (BDPA New York)

Bonnie Sandy, Creative Industries Advocate to Present at Microsoft for BDPA New York Chapter. BDPA New York announced today that Bonnie Sandy, Creative Industries Advocate, will provide critical technology tips for BDPA New York members, small business owners, and technology enthusiasts at their upcoming professional development meeting. The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program, which consists of the IT Showcase and High School Computer Competition, will also be highlighted at this program meeting.

Read the full PR.com article.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 6/7/2013 (Herchran Singh)

John Marshall High School Top Seniors. Herchran Singh, daughter of Gurninderjit Singh and Surinder Kaur, was a participant in science fair, Business Professionals of America, Black Data Processing Associates, Computer Programming, Speech, National Honors Society and mentorship at the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Research Lab.

She was involved in track, swimming and Indian Dance. She is a National Honors Society president, HSCC project manager, Punjabi School principal, BPA president, Society of Women Engineers Award, National Latin Exam, Rochester Regional Science Fair, swimming, track, speech, Business Professionals of America and NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award. Community service includes Punjabi School, National Honors Society, tutoring, Habitat for Humanity, school carnivals and Christmas Anonymous. She plans to major in biology and minor in computer science at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Read the full Post-Bulletin article.

Diversity/Careers in Information Technology, Milt Haynes (6/1/2013)

Milt Haynes

Sears’ Milt Haynes Oversees Knowledge Management. This former national BDPA president graduated with U.S. President Barack Obama. Now he's a knowledge manager at Sears, and runs a global group for Blacks in technology. Haynes is a knowledge manager at Sears Holdings Corporation (Hoffman Estates, IL), where he ensures that IT knowledge, intellectual capital and experience are shared throughout the organization.

"My interest in computers started when I was a kid in Chicago, with Star Trek," he says. "Mr Spock always seemed to have a logical solution to any problem. That made me think that if I had a computer, I could do that too."

Read the rest of the Diversity/Careers magazine article.

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 6/1/2013 (Monique Berry, Pamela Sexton, Viola Maxwell-Thompson)

Monique Berry

BDPA Conference to Spotlight Change and Innovation. The National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA, www.bdpa.org) will hold its 35th Annual Technology Conference from August 13 to 17. The event, which includes a wide variety of activities, will take place in Washington, DC at the Washington Hilton.

"Washington is a great conference location,” says Monique Berry, National BDPA president. “This is going to be one of our biggest conferences ever."

The theme of the conference is 'Diverse Opportunities in The Age of Convergence,' which speaks to the changes taking place in the world of information technology.

"Technology changes every day, and the focus is no longer just on computer programming,” says Berry. “With the emergence of social networking, cloud computing, and smart appliances, and the need for graphic interfaces [Pamela Sexton, conference director, notes that some interviews will happen on the spot.] everywhere, a variety of new career opportunities allow for greater creativity within the IT field."

Read the rest of the Diversity/Careers Magazine article.

Digital Journal, 5/23/2013 (Goldie Bonney)

BDPA New Jersey Hosts 10th Annual Families in Technology Day June 8, 2013. The New Jersey chapter of the largest organization of African Americans in STEM industries, BDPA, is hosting its 10th annual Families in Technology Day on June 8, 2013. This all-day event will encourage students and their parents to explore the tech arena, and learn the ins and outs from many of the industries’ finest teachers. Held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the event will include workshops, instruction and an inspiring message from keynote speaker, Randal Pinkett, Ph.D.

BDPA New Jersey President, Goldie Bonney, is excited about the 10-year mark of this event. “We’re proud to reach another milestone in technology for our organization. With the way STEM is constantly changing, it’s important for us to make sure the community, especially the students, are equipped and empowered with the tools to stay in demand,” explains Bonney. “Through the support of our sponsors (JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, and Prudential) we’re anticipating hundreds to attend this year.”

Read the full Digital Journal article.

The Village, 5/20/2013 (Kai Dupé)

Tech Support: Networking for Blacks in STEM. In 2008, I found myself trying to decide on a problem to study for my doctoral dissertation. Most of my classmates were studying problems in their workplace. For most of them this meant studying a problem in education as they were educators. I, however, was working in the corporate world as a software developer. A classmate suggested that I study an issue related to African American software developers. I remember thinking to myself, what African American software developers?

As Oprah would say this was my “aha” moment. I decided to study and write about this subject and start a blog where I could keep aspiring African-American tech professionals informed about the latest industry news, opportunities and opinions. I approached one of my marketing savvy co-workers who said I should call it simply, Where Are Blacks In Technology? I have been blogging my thoughts on the digital divide ever since.

Read the rest of The Village article.

NOTE: Kai Dupé is a long-time BDPA member.

SBWire, 5/17/2013 (Wayne Hicks, Ted Jordan)

Ted Jordan

BDPA Success Stories Enjoyed on iRadio Show. Ted Jordan is the visionary behind Funutation Tekademy. Funutation stands for fun and education! The company runs kids' camps, called Tek Labs, during the summer teaching kids to make computer games, build web sites, and program battle robots. Funutation commits to providing children the finest experience in technology skills education. As a result, computer programming and teamwork are integral parts of the Funutation Tek Lab experience.

"We didn't think it would turn out to be this good", commented Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. "BDPA Cleveland Chapter loaned a few laptops to Funutation to help them run tech camp pilots thinking this would grow to be a great program for kids in Cleveland. Ted has taken this to the next level."

Read the full Funutation Tekademy article.

Clemson University, 5/16/2013 (Juan Gilbert)

Juan Gilbert

Clemson Receives $5M for Alliance to Increase African Americans in Computer Sciences. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Clemson University a $5 million grant to launch the Institute for African American Mentoring in Computing Sciences. The institute will serve as a national resource and emphasize mentoring as the primary strategy for increasing African American participation in computing under the direction of Juan Gilbert, Presidential Endowed Professor and chairman of the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson, and Shaundra Daily, assistant professor in the School of Computing.

“African Americans represent about 1 percent of the computer science faculty and researchers in the U.S.,” Gilbert said. “We formed this institute to increase the number of underrepresented groups earning computing science doctoral degrees and researchers in the academy, government and private sector.”

Read the rest of the Clemson University article.

NOTE: Dr. Gilbert is a long-time BDPA member.

CollegeRecruiter.com, 4/24/2013 (Herchran Singh)

Herchran Singh

CollegeRecruiter.com CEO Faith Rothberg M.C.’s Women in Computing Awards for High Schoolers. Last week, Faith Rothberg, CEO of CollegeRecruiter.com, served as the Master of Ceremonies for an awards ceremony designed to encourage young women to enter the highly rewarding career fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing awards ceremony was held on April 18, 2013 at the Unisys Corporation data center in Eagan, Minnesota. The ceremony was organized by Advance IT Minnesota, the high-tech talent incubator run by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system. There were six winners and five runners-up in the first annual Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing award for high school students. Winners from across the state were selected based on their interests, accomplishments, and community involvement in computing and technology, as well as for their aspirations in computing and technology-related fields.

NOTE: One of the six winners was BDPA Southern Minnesota student member Herchran Singh of Rochester; senior at John Marshall High School.

Read the rest of the CollegeRecruiters.com article.

STLtoday, 4/12/2013 (Mark Grady)

NAHSE St. Louis Has Joined MPAC. The Minority Professional Associations Collaborative (MPAC) is pleased to announce a new member – The St. Louis Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) .

“This partnership will enable NAHSE to offer additional networking and professional development opportunities for its members,” says President Andwele Jolly.

MPAC member organizations represent expertise and skill in vastly different areas such as Management, Engineering, Accounting and more.

“These skills and experiences are leveraged to create rich, professional development programs for their organizations as well as enhance their networking opportunities,” says MPAC President Mark Grady.

Read the rest of the STLtoday article.

NOTE: Mark Grady is president of BDPA St. Louis chapter. BDPA is an organizational member of MPAC.

St. Louis American, 3/25/2013 (Imani Anwisye-Mashele)

3rd Annual Salute to Young Leaders. Tomorrow evening (Tues. Mar. 26) The St. Louis American Foundation will present its 3rd Salute to Young Leaders – a networking reception that recognizes a diverse group of 20 outstanding African American professionals under age 40. This impressive class of Young Leaders includes individuals who are leading by example in professional arenas that range from education, banking, engineering, politics and not-for-profit organizations.

The 2013 Young Leader awardees include: Dr. Imani Anwisye-Mashele, Family Medicine Resident (St. Louis University)

Read the full St. Louis American article here.

NOTE: Imani Anwisye-Mashele was on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA St. Louis chapter for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 National HSCC championships.

Blerdology, 3/25/2013 (Greg Greenlee)

Blerd of the Month - Greg Greenlee. Greg is one of our best friends at Blerdology. We first met him when he drove all the way from Cincinnati for our very first hacakthon in Atlanta, and ever since then he has been an awesome resource, a great friend, and a great person to rap with about all of the craziness happening in the world. If you aren’t hooked up to BIT and the BIT Digest then you are missing out on great articles, great people, and general awesome blerdiness.



Read the full Blerdology article here.

CBSPhilly, 2/19/2013 (Jasmine Beard, Daneel Douglas, Phillip Easton, Eileen Gadsden, James Gadsden, Norman Morrison)

Brotherly Love: Teaching Tech to High School Kids. President Obama has been encouraging high school students to major in engineering, science, or math. Now, a group of minority tech professionals has decided to take that one step further by giving weekend lessons to the next generation. In a computer lab at DeVry University in Center City, students are practicing the finer points of computer coding.

Read the rest of the CBSPhilly article.

Wall Street Journal, 2/5/2013 (Larry Quinlan)

An Interview with Deloitte CIO Larry Quinlan. His job, like those of CIOs everywhere, isn’t easy. As Deloitte’s CIO, Larry Quinlan is ultimately responsible for meeting the daily technology needs of 60,000 employees in the U.S. and approximately 200,000 practitioners around the globe. As such, he knows a thing or two about the challenges CIOs face today. Budgets, cyber security, a relentlessly changing technological landscape -- Quinlan will be juggling these and countless other issues in the months ahead.

Read the full Wall Street Journal Q&A session here.

NOTE: Larry Quinlan is a member of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation board of directors and a long-time senior advisor to the BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter.

Scientific American, 2/4/2013 (Danielle Lee, Wayne Hicks)

Black Family Technology Awareness Week celebrates STEM achievement and interests during Black History Month. Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW) is a national public awareness campaign designed to encourage more African Americans to incorporate technology into their daily lives. It is a nationwide program to educate and empower families – multiple generations, not just youth – through technology. Partners include community, corporate, and professional supporters who host events in cities throughout the United States to help families and communities learn about career opportunities in technology, engineering, science and math (also referred to as STEM by me and many others), as well engage them in fun learning games and gadgets to help individuals become aware of the many ways that technology improves our lives.

Read the rest of the Scientific American article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 1/30/2013 (Irwin Sylvah, Emmaly Manchanthasouk)

Irwin Sylvah and Emmaly Manchanthasouk

Black IT Pros Give Bank. Lots of people talk about “giving back,” “reaching back,” “paying it forward,” all expressions of how important it is that those who have been fortunate return the favor to others. That principle is alive and well at the local chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), which is showing the rest of the Twin Cities what it really means to extend a helping hand to the next generation. BDPA has been quietly and steadily doing just that for the past eight years.

Read the rest of the MSR article.

North Carolina State University, 1/22/2013 (Khalia Braswell)

Khalia Braswell (r)

Computer Science Future Students. "Field of Dreams", a popular movie in the late 1980’s, coined the phrase “If you build it, they will come,” meaning that people don’t realize they want or need something until it is right in front of them. Today’s most relevant way to build a field of dreams is to integrate technology into subject matter, which is just what NC State computer science students Khalia Braswell and KaMar Galloway have done. Their collaboration with Dr. Fay Cobb Payton on a critical healthcare outreach effort is changing mindsets, increasing communication and bringing people together to talk like never before.

Read the rest of this NC State University article.

NOTE: Khalia was a member of the 2007 BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Charlotte chapter.

Racing Towards Diversity, 1/1/2013 (Craig Brown)

Branching Up. From the top of a 25-year IT consulting career, Craig Brown sees too few people of color climbing the ladder of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). So he's doing something about it. Brown has launched a foundation, STEM Resource Group, to invite young students into the field, and an accompanying staffing firm, STEM Resource Partners, to help them find jobs when they complete their education.

Read the rest of the Racing Towards Diversity article here.

NOTE: Dr. Craig Brown is national BDPA vice president and BDPA Houston chapter president.