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."

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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."

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Diversity/Careers in Engineering and Information Technology, 10/1/2012 (Monique Berry)

BDPA Conference 'Transforms the IT Professional'. More than 500 professional BDPA members and 125 students gathered in Baltimore, MD in August for the 2012 National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology Conference. This year's theme was "transforming the IT professional."

In today's world, "clouds are no longer associated with the weather and phones are truly smart," says BDPA president Monique Berry. "We, as IT professionals, must always remember…to use IT to engage and transform the world we live in.

"The reality of that can be daunting," she notes. Attendees to the conferences got plenty of chances to learn about the latest technologies and, even more importantly, to "build and strengthen relationships, which are the cornerstone of an effective career and life," Berry says.

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Diversity/Careers, 6/1/2012 (Monique Berry, Janice Coleman, 2012 BDPA Conference)

BDPA Comes Up With Great Plans Once Again. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) has plans to "transform the IT pro" at its thirty-fourth annual technology conference, to be held August 1-4 at the Hilton Baltimore in the city's Inner Harbor downtown.

"We will be focusing on professional development, moving people to the next level," explains BDPA president Monique Berry, an IT pro at mutual fund company Vanguard (Malvern, PA). "And we want to fill the STEM pipeline by graduating the next generation of STEM professionals."

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Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, 2/1/2012 (Jesse Mathews)

Jesse Mathews III is "Lovin' It" at McDonald's, USA. Jesse Mathews III is a senior director in the IT department at McDonald's Corporation (Oak Brook, IL). He works with three internal customer groups: training, learning and development, U.S. operations, and U.S. supply chain, and leads mission-critical development and support initiatives.

"McDonald's embraces diversity," he notes. "We want to make sure we respect people on both sides of the counter. We value diversity from the crew room to the board room." Mathews is also Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) co-chair for the Chicago chapter of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA).

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 3/1/2011 (Renetta English)

Renetta English is This Year's BDPA New York Chapter Prez. Members of the BDPA New York chapter have elected Renetta English to serve as 2011-2012 chapter president. English has been a member of BDPA since 2004 and served in several leadership roles. In 2008 she was the New York chapter's HR director. Last year she was the chapter's VP of membership management; chapter membership grew by thirty percent during her tenure.

English clearly believes that BDPA is a premier organization for IT pros. "We must all work together to participate in and promote the goals and mission of BDPA," she notes.

She has strong ideas about the future direction of BDPA New York in areas like membership, youth programs, finances, corporate sponsorships, political relationships, small business ownership, strategic partnerships and community.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 3/1/2011 (Wayne Hicks, Judaea Lane, Melodie Mayberry-Stewart)

L-R: BDPA New York Board of Directors (and a visitor)

New York CIO Keynotes BDPA Chapter Awards Dinner; Students Get Citations of Excellence. 'Don't Be Afraid of the STEM!' was the theme of BDPA New York's 2010 scholarship and awards dinner, held November 10 at the downtown Brooklyn location of National Grid, sponsor of the event. Founded in 1982, BDPA New York is currently the fifth largest chapter of National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). The annual awards dinner recognizes the achievements of BDPA New York students and honors its community supporters and corporate sponsors.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 3/1/2011 (Wayne Hicks)

BDPA Career Fair

The Job Market is Improving for African Americans in IT.  When the economy started getting pummeled a few years ago, the IT job market also took some hits, but 2010 may turn out to be its comeback year, says Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).  BETF is a nonprofit charity founded in 1992 to support the education and technical programs of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) organization.

"The number of firms that purchased booths for the BDPA career fair in July 2010 is a clear indication that corporate America is looking to hire more IT professionals at all levels," says Hicks.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 11/11/2010 (Wayne Hicks)

The Job Market is Improving for African Americans in IT. When the economy started getting pummeled a few years ago, the IT job market also took some hits, but 2010 may turn out to be its comeback year, says Wayne Hicks, executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). BETF is a nonprofit charity founded in 1992 to support the education and technical programs of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) organization.

"The number of firms that purchased booths for the BDPA career fair in July 2010 is a clear indication that corporate America is looking to hire more IT professionals at all levels," says Hicks.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 11/1/2010 (Yvette Graham)

BDPA Career Fair Comes to Philly. An enthusiastic crowd of job-seekers found plenty of opportunities in Philadelphia this summer when Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) staged a 2010 career fair and technology conference.

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 10/1/2010 (Jesse Bemley, Yvette Graham, Milt Haynes, Judaea Lane)

BDPA Stresses Access at National Conference.  National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) returned to its Philadelphia roots in late July for its thirty-second annual national conference. The society was founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1975, and had its first national conference in 1979 in Washington, DC. This is the sixth conference since then held in Philadelphia, the "city of brotherly love and sisterly affection," which also offers convenient access to eastern U.S. IT venues.

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Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, 7/1/2010 (Milt Haynes)

News and Views. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) and WorkplaceDiversity.com have named the 2010 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology award winners. They are Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, Compuware, Eli Lilly, Health Care Service Corp, IBM, Intel, Merck, Prudential Financial, State Farm Insurance, the U.S. Navy, Wal-Mart Stores, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

“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,” says Milt Haynes, a past president of National BDPA.

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Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, 7/1/2010 (Jesse Bemley, Monique Berry, Phyllis Coleman, Milt Haynes)

BDPA Expects Hefty Crowds in Philadelphia.  'We’re really looking forward to having our meeting in Philadelphia,” says Monique Berry, who is a project manager with the Vanguard Group (Valley Forge, PA) and BDPA’s national president elect and VP of business management. “Sixty percent of the U.S. population is within a twenty-four hour drive so we expect even more people than we had last year in Raleigh.”

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Diversity/Careers Magazine, 2/1/2010 (Monique Berry, Donald French, Yvette Graham, Charles Moore, Earl Pace)

BDPA Installs New Officers. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) installed new national officers in early January. Yvette Graham, who works at Allstate as director of the project development and operations organization for the claims department, is the group’s new national president. Monique Berry, an IT pro at Vanguard Group, is the new national president elect and VP of business management. Charles Moore of Wachovia is the new VP of finance. Founder Earl Pace and executive director Dr Donald French remain on the board.

The original news & views article is here.