US Black Engineer & Information Technology, 12/18/2017 (Jasmine Mann)

Jasmine Mann Earns ROTC Scholarship

A Rising Star for the US Army. Congratulations to Jasmine Mann (Virginia Military Institute Class of 2020) a.k.a "G.I. Jazzy" A graduate of Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia, Jasmine's academic performance during her combined summer school-first semester, physical training scores, and her demonstrated leadership, earned an upgrade of her three-year Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship to a 3.5 year award to continue her studies in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Jasmine is also an active member of the ROCKS INC, the Virginia Military Instute NSBE Chapter, and won an award for a year's membership in the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), an organization offering education, mentoring, support, and networking opportunities to IT professional members.

Read the full US Black Engineer & Information Technology article.

The Milwaukee Times, 9/30/2016 (BDPA Milwaukee Computer Camp)

They are (from left, top row) Jalil Gibson, Alvin Cherry, Jeffery Simon, Noah
Aitch, (from left, bottom row) Isaiah Jones, Nadia Chestnut, Jayla Hopkins,
and Vendah Jones.

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter Hosts High School Computer Competition and Youth Technology Camp Awards Ceremony. On Thursday, September 22, 2016 BDPA Milwaukee Chapter celebrated the success of its High School Computer Competition and Youth Technology Camp participants with an awards recognition ceremony at MillerCoors. The Milwaukee chapter completed its 3rd year of operation by preparing nine students to participate and compete in the 2016 National BDPA High School Computer Competition in Atlanta, GA on August 10-13, 2017. BDPA’s goal is to assist school in giving students a solid computer foundation. Awards went to area high school students that participated in the Youth Technology Camp.

Click here to see the full article in The Milwaukee Times.

Cincinnati State Board of Trustees, 9/20/2016 (Frank Hill)

Frank Hill

Frank Hill was recognized for his outstanding accomplishments as an adjunct instructor (he teaches computer applications) and his volunteer work with the Cincinnati Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). One of BDPA’s priorities is helping minority high school students prepare for college and STEM careers.

“When I see these high school kids, I see such great potential,” Hill said. “I see that for Cincinnati State students, too.”

MI Blues Perspectives, 9/15/2016 (Angela Williams, Mike Williams)

Angela Williams, director, Information Security,
and Bridget Hurd, senior director, Diversity and Inclusion.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Honored for Commitment to African-Americans in Information Technology. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan emerged as the National Black Data Processing Associates’ (BDPA) winner of the 2016 Corporate PACEsetter award in August.

Recognized as an industry leader in areas such as supplier diversity and leadership development, Blue Cross was a top contender among five other finalists, including Anthem, Wells Fargo and State Farm.

“We commend Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan for its continued commitment to a workplace and environment that supports the advancement of African Americans in the Information Technology industry,” said Mike A. Williams, president, National BDPA.

Angela Williams, director of Information Security at Blue Cross, hopes the PACESetter award will highlight Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as a top place to work for minorities in IT.

“My goal is to leverage BDPA to attract highly talented IT recruits to Michigan and to the Blues,” said Williams. “A lot of minorities look for organizations they believe will allow them to be creative and have a career path, and will be a great place to enjoy their day-to-day work life,” said Williams. “This award, in essence, says that Blue Cross is this type of organization. We have several examples of African Americans within our company who have had very successful and extensive careers. To continue to be successful as an organization, we need to focus on investing and growing our minority base as a diversity of people, thought and leadership.”

Read the full MI Blues Perspectives article,

Vidette Online, 9/14/2016 (Basheer Becerra, Joel Johnson)

Basheer Becerra

ISU Student Helps Local High School Place Third. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Central Illinois High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team placed third out of 15 teams at the BDPA National Conference with the help of one Illinois State University sophomore.

Basheer Becerra is studying computer sciences at ISU and said that when the opportunity to be a mentor to high school students presented itself, he was more than willing.

“During my freshman year when I [had] just joined BDPA, I was looking for some non-profit organizations to get involved with to help mentor students,” Becerra said. “Then I received an email from Joel Johnson, and he said we have opportunities available for Information Technology mentorship, so it was just what I was looking for. I joined immediately and Joel introduced me to the program.”

Read the rest of the Vidette Online article.

Bloomington Pantagraph, 8/29/2016 (Joel Johnson, Sidhearth Panda, Suraj Sunkara, Jordan Stipp)

From left are BDPA-CIL president Marcus Barbee, BDPA member Theonnie Shields, BDPA-CIL HSCC coordinator Joel Johnson, Normal Community HS students Sidhearth Panda, Suraj Sunkara and Jordan Stipp. The three teens placed in 3rd place in the national HSCC in Atlanta, GA.

NCHS Students Score Third in National Computer Competition. Three Twin City high school students showcased their technology and communication skills at the recent national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) in Atlanta, Ga., netting third place. Joel Johnson is the coordinator and instructor for the local HSCC club, hosted by Black Data Processing Associates Central Illinois Chapter, a non-profit organization.

“We recruit students from Bloomington-Normal high schools to learn at our training academy. The goal of the program is to encourage African Americans to get into IT (Information Technology), but we will educate any student that wants to learn,” said Johnson, who also works as a system analyst at State Farm.

The academy members meet three times a month, October through April. The students learn basic web page construction, java script and database creation for websites.

Read the full Bloomington Pantagraph article.

Forsyth County News, 8/28/2016 (Cameron Reaves)

Cameron Reaves

Scholastic Student Spotlight: Lambert Senior Class President Focused on Energy Crisis. Cameron Reaves is a senior at Lambert High School in the Atlanta area.

Cameron said, "I plan to study computer science and energy engineering, selecting a minor in Chinese. I plan to focus on solving issues in sustainability and energy, improving the efficiency of existing systems and developing cheaper alternatives to solve our impending energy crisis. Whether as an employee or an entrepreneur, I will make an impact on both how society consumes and produces energy."

Read the full Forsyth County News article here.

bdpatoday, 8/25/2016 (Mayesha Awal, Michael Brown, Kareem DaSilva, Justin Rice)

Developers, Mentors, Judges and Student Invitations now open for 2017’s AppDev Season.  National BDPA announces 2016 winners of its annual National Mobile Application Showcase competitions. Approved Mobile App Showcase projects submitted this year were assessed by a panel of industry judges and partners during BDPAConnect16. Monetary awards powered by State Farm Insurance were given to the top Android and iOS collegiate and high school developers.

Read the rest of the BDPAToday article.

News One: 8/9/2016 (Ogochukwu Eburuoh, Sharrarne Morton)

Black Data Processors Seek To Increase The Number Of African Americans In Tech. There’s a big push to get more African-Americans into the tech world and the culmination is happening this weekend.

The Black Data Processing Association will hold its annual Technology Conference and Job Fair August 10-13 in Atlanta, Georgia. The BDPA provides training for professionals and scholarships for students in an attempt to increase the African American presence in the field of technology.

According to The New York Times, African Americans only represent 7 percent of the tech workforce. The BDPA works with corporate sponsors to focus on recruitment, retention, community outreach, and supplier diversity.



Read the rest of the News One article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 7/6/2016 (Shawnta Turner-Richard, Houston White)

Shawnta Turner-Richard (BDPA Twin Cities)

First Fridays Honors Two Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs. On July 1, July’s First Fridays Twin Cities honored two Minnesotans in its “Faces of the Month” recognition.

The tradition continues in honoring people who are making a difference in the Black community. Shawnta Turner-Richard was the female honored for the month of July. Being honored was “a shock to me,” she said. She has a background in community service, promotion and entrepreneurial work within the Twin Cities and Atlanta.

Turner-Richard has worked on events for the United Negro College Fund, including two walk events here in the Twin Cities, and she is currently a project manager at Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Drive camp. Through BDPA youth learn about technology.

Read the full Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

Harold Rush Podcast, 5/4/2016 (Reggie Rush)

BDPA Chicago President Reggie Rush. BDPA Chicago Chapter Media Correspondent Harold Lee Rush interviews Reggie Rush, BDPA Chicago Chapter President.



BDPA Chicago Chapter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BDPAChicago/

Business Wire, 5/2/2016, (Mike Williams)

BDPA and FORTUNE Magazine Group Enter Partnership. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) and FORTUNE’s Content Marketing & Strategies group entered into an agreement to publish and promote a special advertising section on diversity. FORTUNE's Content Marketing & Strategies group, the custom content division of FORTUNE, has been producing custom content for FORTUNE 1000 companies since 1954. BDPA is the largest African American Information Technology (IT) Association in the country and has 40 chapters across the United States. The organization is a catalyst for professional growth and technical development for those in IT and continues to bridge the digital divide by providing training and career growth opportunities for its members.

"We view BDPA as a valuable resource for corporate America as they serve as a catalyst for growth in IT diversity," states Joel Baboolal, Project Manager, FORTUNE Content Marketing & Strategies. "Our group is thrilled to partner with BDPA. The issue of IT diversity has reached new heights and together we aim to cover solid examples of timely advancements on this front which will be featured in a special advertising section in our FORTUNE 500, June 15, 2016 issue," he added. The advertising close date is May 4th.

"We are ecstatic about our partnership with FORTUNE to pursue our shared mission of advancing diversity in IT across corporate America," said Mike A. Williams, BDPA National President. "As a leading national magazine whose focus is on the top 500 companies in the nation, BDPA could not ask for a better partner to tackle this issue with us," he added.

BDPA will host its 38th Annual National Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 9-13, 2016 at The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. BDPA’s Career Fair is free and open to the public.

Read full press release at Business Wire.

Rolling Out, 3/15/2016 (Reggie Rush)

Reggie Rush

5 Questions with BDPA Chicago Chapter President Reggie Rush. For those unfamiliar the organization, tell us a bit about the Chicago Chapter of Black Data Processing Association and its history?

BDPA is an international organization with a diverse membership of professionals and students at all levels in the fields of information technology, computer science and related S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Members are actively engaged in serving the community through outreach and charting the future of the IT industry.

What’s next for the BDPA?

I think the biggest challenge for us is growing both our sponsorship base and membership. These are two important elements for our success. We are a nonprofit so we need the funding to run our programs. Eighty to 85 percent of our funding goes to programs. We have no paid staff within the chapter. Now that statement helps you understand why growing membership is important, we need the members to volunteer to assist in delivering the programs.

The BDPA Chicago Chapter Annual Awards gala will take place on Saturday, March 19 at the Hyatt Regency East Tower, Grand Ballroom A & B located at 151 E Wacker Dr., Chicago. The black-tie event will begin with a VIP reception at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner program at 7 p.m.

Read the full Rolling Out article here.

Geek Girl Rising * 2/13/2016 (Stephanie Lampkin)

Stephanie Lampkin

Meet the Geek Girls - Stephanie Lampkin. "Who or what inspired your career in tech? How so?" - My Auntie Greta (University of Maryland College Park, BS Computer Science 1984) was definitely my biggest inspiration. She took my mom in when my mom found out she was pregnant and needed a place to live, but soon thereafter she moved to Connecticut for a programmer job at Westinghouse. As I got older we used to visit her every year in Connecticut. I always loved visiting her because she’d have the latest gadgets and electronic. She’s the first person I ever knew to own a cell phone. She had such a fabulous lifestyle– she traveled the world on a whim. She got me involved in the Black Data Processing Association (BDPA) by introducing me to the high school computer competition. I wanted to participate years before I was eligible, but I ultimately started the summer before freshman year of high school. I was 13. The rest is history.

Read the rest of the Geek Girl Rising article.

PRWeb, 2/6/2016 (Calvetta Phair, Kevin Rabinovich)

TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC

The On It Foundation Partners with 'TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC' for By-Youth-For-Youth Conference March 5, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina - The On It Foundation has partnered with TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC - South Carolina’s by-youth, for-youth conference that unites high school students from almost 50 schools for a day’s worth of Ideas Worth Spreading - to assist in community outreach to promote the event and assume Fiscal Sponsorship for obtaining donations and corporate sponsors. All proceeds will benefit TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC and youth initiatives in South Carolina.

Asked how collaboration of The On It Foundation and TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC came about, Calvetta Phair, President of The On It Foundation, stated that she saw an article about Kevin Rabinovich’s work in a blog post by the Black Data Processing Associates, a group with which both are involved.

“I contacted Kevin to express my admiration and support for his work with TEDxYouth@ColumbiaSC. We met and the rest is history. I am truly honored to offer any support for this event and believe that our organizations’ alliance will not only benefit the youth in South Carolina, but also provide support for future initiatives…it’s so much bigger than about us,” said Ms. Phair.

Read the full PRWeb media release here.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 1/15/2016 (Fredrick Blocton, Sifora Tek-Lab)

2015 HSTP graduates (l-r) Isaiah Brown, Mohammed Abdi,
Kiani DeJuan Burkett, Diliet Tekie, and Jesus Vega (not pictured)

Tech Group Draws Students Into ‘Smart Zones’. On Friday, January 8, Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) celebrated its 11th year with a graduation and awards ceremony emceed by Dawn Stevens of FOX 9 news. The theme of the event: transformational leadership.

Approximately 50 students between fourth grade and college level were honored at the event. BDPA is an all-volunteer organization, from the instructors to the students they teach. It boast a 100 percent graduation rate.

Fredrick Blocton, the Twin Cities BDPA chapter president, described their role in creating a foundation for future transformational leaders: “All of our kids that come into BDPA come into what we consider a smart zone. A smart zone means that when you come into the BDPA program you get the opportunity to be as smart as you want to be. And when kids come in they see the other kids trudging away at technology…and they start to all do the same thing. They get in the smart zone and they are able to open up their brains,” Blocton continued. “And what it does is it flips on the switch for them and gives them the opportunity not only to learn in technology, but in other areas of their lives, too.”

Read the rest of the article on MSR Online.

Advance IT Minnesota, January 8, 2015 (Russell Fraenkel)

BDPA names Metropolitan State University & Advance IT Minnesota 2015 Community Supporter of the Year. The BDPA Community Supporter of the Year award acknowledges the efforts of a community organization that believes in and supports BDPA in its mission of increasing the participation of people of color in the information technology (IT) field. Advance IT Minnesota, a Center of Excellence in IT for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system and Metropolitan State University have supported BDPA for a number of years, providing in-kind resources and technology-equipped classrooms at their St. Paul campus.

Click here to read the full article.