Diversity/Careers in Information Technology, 6/28/2009 (Monique Berry)

Monique Berry gets BEYA award. At this February’s Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA), Monique Berry, president of the Philadelphia BDPA chapter, was named a modern-day technology leader: a person of color who shapes the future course of engineering, science and technology.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized nationally,” says Berry. “My goal is to get minority youth interested in technology by showing them how challenging, fun and exciting the field of IT can be.”

Read the full article here.

Diversity/Careers in Information Technology, 6/28/2009 (LaTasha Gary, David Segura)

At ITSMF gala, IT execs look beyond the glass ceiling. IT leaders from the public and private sector gathered in Irving, TX in February to honor colleagues and share information. Global banking giant UBS was corporate sponsor of the year; member of the year was LaTasha Gary, senior director of global channel partner information for Hewlett-Packard. A special recognition award went to David Segura, CEO of VisionIT (Detroit, MI) and vice-chair of HITEC.

Read the full article here.

Diversity/Careers in Information Technology, 6/28/2009 (Denise Holland)

BDPA Plans for Its Best Conference Ever. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA, http://www.bdpa.org/) plans an even more effective national technology conference this August. “Last year’s was the most successful yet, and we intend to exceed that,” says BDPA president Denise Holland.

Read the full article here.

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois Newsroom, 6/23/2009 (Mario Dean)

BlueCross and BlueShield of Illinois Employee Wins Corporate Diversity Award. Chicago resident Mario Dean was awarded Health Care Service Corporation's (HCSC) 2008 President's Diversity Award, officially known as the "Raymond F. McCaskey Diversity and Inclusion Award." Dean is a support analyst for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, which is operated by HCSC. Members of HCSC's Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team gathered last night along with others to honor Dean at a special dinner ceremony at HCSC's Chicago headquarters.

Read the full news article here.

Allan's Best Week Ever, 6/16/2009 (Matthew Lampkin, Mary Udeh)

Advancing Careers from the Classroom to the Boardroom. eek! I love my job and yet again, I was able to step out of ordinary and connect with folks who volunteer their time and resources to helping their community. Tonight I had the privilege of chatting with the Hartford chapter of the BDPA. It is truly amazing to me that there are so many unseen and unheard leaders heroes giving of themselves to inspire, educate and mentor kids.

Read the full story here.

Jamaican American Association of Northern California, 6/5/2009 (Patricia Glover)

BDPA Summer Technology Training for Youth at Jamaican American Association of Northern California. High school students earn college credit. Web development class and SAT or ACT review class begins on July 6. 2009.

Click here to see the full media release.

YouTube, 6/2/2009 (Gina Billings)

The Gravely Group - Part I: Bylaws. Past national BDPA president Gina Billings describes the service that Melvin J. Gravely provided to the organization in recent efforts to review and update national bylaws.

WVU Today, 5/29/2009 (Johnathan Holifield)

WVU Alumni Association Announces 2009-10 Board of Directors. The West Virginia University Alumni Association recently elected its executive officers and three new board members during its annual business meeting held in May ... Holifield is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland. In this role, he leads development and implementation of an agenda to empower Clevelanders to contribute their full measure and potential to increase societal inclusion, educational competitiveness and economic prosperity ... Holifield also received Black Data Processing Associates President’s Award.

Read the full story here.

New York Times, 5/7/2009 (Larry Quinlan)

On the Agenda: Modernizing the Meeting. Similarly, at the accounting firm of Deloitte, which began adding high-definition videoconferencing equipment to its offices about a year ago, it’s no longer unusual for as many as 80 employees in 10 cities to meet without the expense of airfare or hotels. And according to Larry Quinlan, a principal at Deloitte, once employees and management overcome their initial resistance, they’re happy to forgo travel — perhaps indefinitely.

“In previous downturns, as soon as you got travel money in your budget again you’d get back on the planes because the videoconferencing experience wasn’t that good,” Mr. Quinlan said. But with better systems in place, he said, “you can now scheme to reduce travel on a permanent basis. The economic downturn merely provides management with the mandate to do it.”

Read the full article here.

[NOTE: Larry Quinlan is BETF board member.]

2009 BDPA Conference: Early Bird Registration Extended to 4/30/2009

Current information on 2009 BDPA Technology Conference

Diversity Intelligence, 4/8/2009 (National BDPA)

Organization Profile of the Week: Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). BDPA is a global member focused organization of over 55 chapters throughout the United States serving thousands of IT professionals and students. BDPA is committed to excellence and providing a wide spectrum of resources to members, corporate sponsors, businesses, educational institutions and the community.

Read the full profile here.

Open Web Developer's Journal, 4/3/2009 (Frank Shines)

Google, APEX and Others Discover the Fast-Growing Digital Signage Market - by Frank Shines. Digital Signage is the fastest-growing marketing and communications medium in the world second only to the Internet and branded entertainment. It replaces conventional paper signs and posters with electronic signs using liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma screens. Google has pursued a patent on digital signage and has recently launched a Google TV ads platform, which will likely revolutionize out-of-home and TV advertising in the coming years. APEX Digital Imaging is providing a total suite of digital signage services through a collaboration with the largest companies in the space.

Read the full article here.

NOTE: Frank is BDPA Greater Tampa Bay chapter president (2008-2009)

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 3/24/2009 (Betty Hutchins)

United Way Awards. Betty Hutchins hugs United Way of Olmsted County President Karen Erlenbusch while being honored with the Spirit of Caring award at the organization's Celebration of Caring and Giving 2009 Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Rochester International Event Center.

Read the full Post-Bulletin article here.

Wall Street Journal, 3/19/2009 (Dwight Handon)

Business-Services Franchises Offer Second Career to Former Execs. The fact that is members make decisions quickly is a big plus for TAB franchisee Dwight Handon, 50, who was downsized from a senior director position at Freddie Mac. Mr. Handon, of Fairfax VA, launched his franchise last October and has six members in his peer group, with more arriving each week.

Read the full article here.

PRWeb, 3/13/2009 (LaTasha Gary, David Segura)

IT Executives Urged To Look Beyond the Glass Ceiling at ITSMF Symposium/Awards Gala Minority Executives Honored for Contributions to IT profession. The "Who's Who" of information technology (IT) leaders from the public and private sector gathered in Irving, Texas, last month to honor colleagues who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of information technology while demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing diversity. This highly-anticipated event was part of the symposium "Globalization from a Business, Economic and Cultural Perspective," a forum designed to equip African American and Hispanic IT executives to compete in today's global marketplace. Events were co-sponsored by the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) and the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC).

Two of the award members are current or former BDPA members:

• LaTasha Gary, BDPA Dallas chapter member and Senior Director of Global Channel Partner Information, HP, won the Member of the Year Award.


• David Segura, former BDPA Detroit chapter member, CEO of VisionIT and Vice-chair of HITEC won the Special Recognition Award.

Read the rest of the press release here.

The Triangle Tribune, 3/9/2009 (Rick Leggett)

Program launches Saturday Academy. A nationally recognized program aimed at increasing students' success in the technology-driven global economy has arrived in the Triangle. "Technology is so new and so burgeoning," Rick Leggett, president of the Triangle chapter, said to the students at the orientation. "You’re getting an opportunity most people in America don’t have. A lot of teens don’t gain this exposure to work with [IT] professionals who are already in the industry. It’s all about the network."

Read the full article 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.

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 3/1/2009 (Frederick Blocton, Dorothy Richburg, Joe Richburg)

Medtronic Engages All Its Businesses in Supplier Diversity. Gretchen Ebert is director of supplier diversity at Medtronic, Inc (Minneapolis, MN), the worldwide medical device company that works to alleviate pain, restore health and extend lives. Dorothy Richburg is president and CEO of Keystone Computer Solutions (St. Paul, MN). Keystone is now an important MBE supplier for Medtronic, providing IT staffing and a forward-looking electronics recycling program.

Read the full article here.

Greater Framingham Community Church, 3/1/2009 (Rod Flakes)

Announcements: BDPA Leader --- Rod Flakes. One“must join” organization for Black computer professionals, is the BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates). In November of 2008, our own Rod Flakes was elected President of the Boston MetroWest chapter. With his experience as the Director of IT Support Services for the Department of Mental Health of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Rod brings a wealth of talent to his new leadership position.

Read the full announcement here.

Washington Post, 2/22/09 (John Eckenrode)

A Year After 'Tech Tax' Scare, Maryland Firms Follow Up With Lawmakers. A year ago, Maryland technology companies were holding rallies and pushing a last-minute lobbying campaign at the State House as they tried to persuade legislators not to impose a new tax on the industry. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), has told tech executives not to worry about another tax, said John Eckenrode, president of the Maryland Computer Services Association. "But anything's possible and it can happen very quickly in this environment," he said, referring to the ongoing economic downturn. "Next year is an election year, so it should be okay, but 2011 could be another story."

NOTE: John Eckenrode is on the BDPA Foundation board of directors.
Read the full 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.

City of Kansas City, 2/12/2009 (Phillip Vann)

Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW) in Kansas City MO

View more documents from Wayne Hicks.

Petersburg People's News, 2/12/2009 (BDPA Richmond)

High School Computer Training and Competition. The Richmond VA chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) is pleased to announce the start of its Annual High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Program. The goal of this exciting training and competition is to increase youth interest in information technology.

Read the rest of the media story here.

Black Star News, 2/7/2009 (BDPA New York)

Black Family Technology Awareness Week (February 16-21, 2009). In our ongoing tribute to Black History Month, we pay homage to Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) who have created a conduit through which Black History meets Black progress via technology. As part of their Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW) 2009 program, the New York Chapter of BDPA is offering a series of family and business events, coming up in various locations throughout New York City. BFTAW is a collaborative public awareness campaign between the BDPA, the Community Network of SBC and the W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center, focusing on closing the digital divide by helping bridge the gap between Black families and technology by encouraging more African Americans to incorporate technology into their businesses and daily lives.

Read the rest of the story here.

CollectiveX Champions, 2/5/2009 (Perry Carter)

Harvesting and Sharing Data at BDPA. BDPA is a national organization. Introduced by their Northern Virginia Chapter, the CollectiveX service is now used by other chapters as well as BDPA Chapter Presidents. Chapter committees wanted to be successful with a user-friendly collaborative solution -- and, were required to tie it in directly to a top business objective. (For instance, BDPA's Washington, D.C. Chapter's goal was to publish a monthly newsletter while concurrently leveraging "ezine," or "electronic magazine" formats).

Read the full article here.

Norwalk News, 1/31/2009 (Lydia Barron)

Norwalk Teens have 'Breakfast with Champions' at Carver Center. Athletes, writers, sports trainers and other professionals gave teens advice Saturday on how to become what they want to be when they grow up. Lydia Barron, chief information officer for JNet Communications, told those in attendance points to remember when trying to get a job or a raise. She said small things -- such as making eye contact with a prospective and dressing well to an interview -- could make a world of difference.

[NOTE: Lydia Barron is a member of BDPA Foundation Board of Directors.]

Read the full media story here.

SlideShare, 1/29/2009 (Pablo More)

BDPA Orlando chapter president Pablo More gave this presentation at January 2009 program meeting. He provided some tactical tips for BDPA members in central Florida that were seeking to find a job or move forward in their career within the IT industry.

Career Development and Successful Job Hunting Strategies

View more documents from Wayne Hicks.

Gazette.net, 1/1/2009 (John Eckenrode)

Annapolis: A Wish List. A year ago, Maryland business leaders were scrambling to campaign against a potential sales tax on computer services. While it's unlikely that a computer sales tax or something similar will come up this session, that doesn't mean business executives such as John Eckenrode are not monitoring the legislature. The state's budget shortfall for fiscal 2010 could reach $2 billion, making executives wonder if tax hikes will be proposed.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 1/1/2009 (Lewis Roberts)

Biotech & Pharma: The Chemistry Feels Right. Dr Lewis Roberts was born and raised in the West African nation of Ghana; he graduated from the University of Ghana Medical School in 1982. For a year he served as a medical and surgical intern at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, and as a teaching and research assistant in the med school’s department of physiology.

Read the full article here.

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 1/1/2009 (David Segura)

Finance Finds Strong Diversity Program a Help in Tough Times. Ten years ago an article in Diversity/ Careers profiled David Segura’s new Vision Information Technologies (Detroit, MI) as an MBE on the rise. Segura launched his fledgling business in 1997, and a year later he was projecting $1 million in revenues. His business provided IT personnel to its clients, developing a pool of talented professionals with varied skills and connecting them with jobs.

Read the full article here.