PR.com, 8/9/12 (Renetta English, Earl Pace)

BDPA New York Receives Multiple Awards at the 2012 National Conference.  BDPA New York was awarded the National Chapter of the Year Award and Management Award for the second year in a row at the 2012 National BDPA Conference, in the Hilton Baltimore, Baltimore, MD. BDPA co-founder Earl Pace, Jr presented the National Chapter of the Year award to the chapter for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the mission and objectives of the National Association at the 2012 Award Gala.

Read rest of the PR.com press release.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BusinessWire, 4/8/2011 (Earl Pace)

IT Hall of Fame Inductions Highlight Final Day of CompTIA Annual Member Meeting. Induction of the Class of 2011 into the IT Industry Hall of Fame and educational sessions on opportunities for technology companies in healthcare IT, security and cloud computing highlighted day two of the second CompTIA Annual Member Meeting here this week. The new IT Hall of Fame Class inducted Thursday includes the late Phil Katz, creator of the .ZIP file format, and Earl Pace, co-founder of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). Both men were inducted into the IT Innovators Wing of the hall.

Pace guided the expansion of BDPA’s activities from a Philadelphia-based organization to a national initiative. Today, BDPA is the largest U.S. professional organization representing minorities in the IT industry. Pace continues to promote the mission of BDPA, telling meeting attendees the organization “gives underserved youth the soft skills and expertise needed to move up in IT industry.”

Read the rest of the Business Wire article.

IT Business Edge, 4/5/2011 (Earl Pace)

The Tech Pioneer Who Dared to Speak out Against Racism in IT.  This week, a technology pioneer is being honored as an inductee into the IT Hall of Fame, in recognition of his lifelong contribution to IT innovation. Yet chances are, you’ve never even heard of him.

The IT Hall of Fame, which is administered by the IT trade association CompTIA, has bestowed the honor on Earl Pace, co-founder of Black Data Processing Associates and chairman of the board of trustees of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. I had the pleasure of conducting an in-depth interview with Pace a couple of years ago, and I was heartened by the fact that he had no inclination to steer away from the issue of racism in IT.

Read the rest of the IT Business Edge story.

CompTIA Blog, 3/28/2011 (Earl Pace)

Earl Pace

Class of 2011 Selected for IT Hall of Fame.  The creator of a tool that made it easier to send and receive large volumes of data; a leader in bringing racial diversity to the IT industry; and the team that developed a credential that’s helped hundreds of thousands of people embark on careers in high-tech are the newest members of the IT Hall of Fame, administered by CompTIA.

The IT Hall of Fame Class of 2011 includes the late Phil Katz, creator of the .ZIP file format, and Earl Pace, founder of Black Data Processing Associates. Both men were elected to the IT Innovators Wing of the Hall of Fame.

Read the rest of the CompTIA Blog post here.

Livingstone College, 12/3/2010 (Earl Pace, David Wimberly)

What is BDPA? BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) was founded in 1975 by Earl A. Pace, Jr. and the late David Wimberly after the two met in Philadelphia to discuss their concerns about minorities in the data processing field. There was a lack of minorities in middle and upper management, low recruitment and poor preparation of minorities for these positions, and an overall lack of career mobility.

Read the full Livingstone College page here.

Blog Talk Radio, 7/28/2010 (Monique Berry, Marc DiFrancisco, Yvette Graham, Milt Haynes, Paulette Johnson-Davis, Jacqueline Lawson, Earl Pace)

Cloud Suite Smart Presents 2010 BDPA Technology Conference Highlights. We would like to highlight the conference on the cozzas BlogTalkRadio program "CloudSuiteSmart"! The show’s segment would include short interviews of senior BDPA officials to discuss their vision and dream for the organization.

Listen to internet radio with Jacqueline Lawson on Blog Talk Radio

Click here to listen to audio of this radio show episode.

Cincinnati.com, 4/9/2010 (Ron Branch, John Eckenrode, Wayne Hicks, Earl Pace)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse CEOs and executive level management who promote educational programs for students of color in the information technology industry, announced new officers and members of its board of directors. BETF members re-elected Earl A. Pace, Jr., President/CEO for Pace Data Systems as the new board chairman. John Eckenrode, CEO for CPSI Inc. elected to serve as the board secretary. Ron Branch, President/CEO for Silverback Business Group was elected as a new board member.

Read the full Cincinnati.com article here.

IT Business Edge, 4/2/2010 (Wayne Hicks, Earl Pace)

Navigating the Nuances of Being a Black IT Professional. To the extent that it’s presumptuous for a middle-aged white guy to write a blog post about what it’s like to be an African American working in the IT profession, let me begin with a disclaimer that I don’t pretend to know. But I have befriended and been acquainted with enough Black IT pros to have gained some insights that are worth sharing.

Read the full IT Business Edge article here.

Huffington Post, 3/4/2010 (Earl Pace)

Tax Favors, IBM, and the Murder of Vernon Hunter. The 20,000 members of the Black Data Processing Associates also wanted the law repealed so members would be free to choose whether to be employees or independent contractors. Earl Pace of Philadelphia, the organization's founder, said it will support withholding to get the freedom to be independent contractors.

Read the full Huffington Post article here.

eWEEK, 2/25/2010 (Milt Haynes, Earl Pace, Clarence Wooten)

IT Management: Celebrating Black History Month in IT: Getting Started in the IT Business. 2010 marks the second year that eWEEK has commemorated Black History Month with a focus on contributions African Americans have made to the IT industry. Last year, we took a look at leaders in the world of corporate IT, such as Charles Phillips, president of Oracle, as well as technical experts such as Mark Dean, an IBM fellow and vice president of technical strategy and worldwide operations for Big Blue. Dean's history at IBM goes deep. He was chief engineer for the development of the IBM PC/AT and holds three of the nine patents for the original IBM PC. However, this year, rather than focus on individuals already well-entrenched in the IT industry and holding sway in the upper ranks, eWEEK decided to take a look at up-and-comers. This slide show looks at folks who are relatively new to the industry—either working for startups or promoting blacks and other minorities to pursue IT careers. This includes both individuals and organizations that encourage or mentor African Americans who want to get started in IT.

See the full eWEEK slideshow here.

Philadelphia Tribune, 2/23/2010 (Earl Pace)

Chance Opportunity Changed the Future. This year marks the 50th anniversary for Earl Pace Jr. and other 1960 West Philadelphia High School alumni. Fifty years ago and more than 400 miles south of Philadelphia, four African American college freshmen, also known as the “Greensboro Four,” waged a sit-in at the lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth in Greensboro, N.C.

Read the full article here.

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.

ITBusiness Canada, 3/3/2009 (Earl Pace)

IT Alone Can't Unwind the Financial Mess. Well, I can't say I wasn't warned. After writing in a column last December about the destructive labels that are thwarting the closure of the racial divide, a reader in Maryland e-mailed me to say that I should "just stop with the racial discussion" or cancel his print subscription. He e-mailed me again on Feb. 19 to inform me he had called to cancel it himself after reading my interview in that week's issue with Earl Pace, founder of Black Data Processing Associates.

Read the rest of the article here.

Computerworld, 2/16/2009 (Earl Pace)

BDPA's Earl Pace Talks About Racism in the IT Workplace. Early in his career, when he was working as a programming manager at a financial services firm, Earl A. Pace Jr. went to a computer conference in Arizona where there were 200 attendees -- 199 white people and him. Well aware of the opportunities in the exploding industry, he decided that ratio needed to change. That decision led to the founding, in 1975, of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), a national organization that now has more than 50 chapters and aims to provide what it calls "a pathway from the classroom to the boardroom."

Read the full article here.

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

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

Read the full editorial here.

ComputerWorld, 12/15/2008 (Earl Pace)

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

Read the full Q&A session here.