UMC News, 8/23/2007 (Delano Robinson, Lorenzo Marshall)

Delano Robinson Wins College IT Showcase. Delano Robinson, of Bloomington, Ill., recently earned 1st Place in the college division of the IT Showcase held in conjunction with the 29th annual National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, DC. Robinson was the best of five college students that participated in division of the IT Showcase as determined by the judges. The BDPA IT Showcase was sponsored by IBM and Eli Lilly & Company. Elmer Corbin (IBM) and Tim Coleman (Eli Lilly) shared comments with the students during the award ceremony.

Read the rest of the media story here.

SlideShare, 8/14/2007 (Kai Dupe)

An Introduction to Second Life. Kai Dupe gave this presentation at the 2007 National BDPA conference in Washington DC. Second Life is a 3-D virtual world. It is entirely built and owned by its players known as residents. Since its inception in 2003, it has exploded in popularity and currently boasts upwards of six million residents. Among its residents are educators who are exploring the possibilities of digital literacies. The critical dimension of literacy is the basis for ensuring individuals are not merely able to participate in some existing literacy and make meanings within in, but also that, in various ways, they are able to transform and actively produce it. This presentation explores the possibilities of a digital/virtual learning environment. Advantages and disadvantages of utilizing this delivery mechanism as well as the techniques needed for effective delivery will be discussed.

BDPA Conference Second Life Presentation

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Chattanooga Times Free Press, 8/7/2007 (Derek Griffin, Jahon Horton, Lanita Russell, Antonio Watson)

Area Students Head North for Contest. Three Chattanooga high school students will participate in a national data processing competition sponsored by the Black Data Processing Associates based in Greenbelt, MD. The High School Computer Competition will be held in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 15 through Aug. 18, said Lanita Russell, public relations director for the Chattanooga chapter of the BDPA.

Read the full Chattanooga Times Free Press article here.

YouTube, 8/5/2007 (Perry Carter, Donna Woodall)

BDPA and Microsoft Local News Interview (2007 NBDPA Conference Washington, D.C.). Donna Woodall of Microsoft and Perry Carter, NBDPA's Host Chapter President are interviewed by News Channel 8's News Talk host, Bruce DePuyt.

YouTube, 8/1/2007 (Gina Billings, Sharrane Morton)

BDPA (DC) ITAV Pilot interview featuring Women CEOs of Technology Organizations. Ms. Sharrarne Morton, CEO of Morton Media, interviews Ms. Gina Billings, National BDPA President and Ms. Lisa Harbour-Carter, President and CEO of Wynnewood Technologies, prior to the 2007 National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, D.C.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 8/1/2007 (Clifford Lowe)

Kids' Programs. Free Concert: BDPA Pittsburgh Chapter Presents Ahveekhy.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, June/July 2007 (Gina Billings, Chiji Ohayia, Anita Vega)

BDPA goes global at 2007 national conference. 'Global strategy for the IT professional" is the theme of the twenty-ninth annual conference of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), the national organization that works to advance the careers of African American IT pros...

Read the full media story here.

JRJ.com, 5/12/2007 (Irma Pittman)

Corporate Sponsor PSEG Donates Computers for BDPA-NJ's' Families in Technology 'Day. Today Newark students and their families gathered at the Science Park High School in Newark, where PSEG co-sponsored the 4th Annual Families in Technology (FIT) Day...

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, April/May 2007 (Javelin Lawrence)

Insurance Firms' Drive for Innovation Boosts the Role of the IT Pro. At State Farm Insurance Co (Bloomington, IL), Javelin Lawrence works in data and info strategies as a system analyst. She supports and services the front end of a tool to improve the productivity of product model developers. "I work with a team of analysts who are supporting and servicing a very complex application," she says. Lawrence also coordinates the local high school computer camp for BDPA and teaches at the camp. "In 2006 our kids placed fifth in the country," she says proudly.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, April/May 2007 (Dele Oladapo)

Dele Oladapo is VP of IS at Prudential Financial. Oladapo appreciates the mentoring support he gets at Prudential, especially from Barbara Koster, SVP and CIO, whose management team has helped him through special projects. He's also a member of Prudential's Black Leadership Forum, the New Jersey chapter of BDPA, the NextGen Network of the Executive Leadership Council and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Read the full media story here.

WIS News 10, 1/19/2007 (BDPA Greater Columbia)

Computer Classes at Midlands Tech Welcoming High Schoolers. Registration starts Saturday for the 2007 BDPA High School Computer Training Program at Midlands Technical College's Northeast Campus.

Read the full WIS News 10 article here.

Working Mother, 12/31/2006 (Allstate Insurance)

2006 Women of Color. Women of color are in good hands with Allstate—especially when it comes to career advancement. All multicultural women received career counseling last year. They also accounted for about a third of the women who participated in Allstate's mentoring program. Plus, employees can tap into specialized mentoring groups, such as the Black Data Processing Associates, a networking opportunity for women-of-color IT professionals, and MenTTium, an executive development program for midlevel female employees.

Read the rest of the article here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Oct/Nov 2006 (Denise Holland)

Transportation Offers Increasing Opportunities for Women and Minorities. Denise Holland is principal officer and SAP production support manager at Amtrak, working at the forefront of transportation technology. Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains, for example, look like speeding bullets as they fly from Boston to Washington, DC, she says ... A native of Baltimore, Holland learned basic programming at a summer school program. "I was hooked right away," she says. So much so, that today she's national president-elect of BPDA. "I like to keep busy," she remarks with a smile.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Oct/Nov 2006 (Charmaine Allen)

Charmaine Allen is a Senior Manager at BCBSIL. Charmaine Allen has worked with the electronic claim processing systems at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL, Chicago, IL) for more than twenty years. Her thorough knowledge of the health insurance business and technology helps her guide best practices in processing claims, data collection, management and imaging systems ... She's a member of BDPA, and likes to mentor young people interested in IT careers.

Read the full media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Oct/Nov 2006 (ING Americas)

ING's diverse employee groups help the company succeed. Many sites are growing. Program managers, project managers, business analysts, QA pros, database and data warehouse pros and software developers are needed. "We look for sharp IT people who also understand business needs and can speak the language of both," Robertson says. ING works with groups like BDPA and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting to find potential candidates...

Read the full media story here.

Business Courier of Cincinnati, 10/9/2006 (Wayne Hicks, Earl Pace)

Hicks to head BDPA Foundation. A local business incubator CEO will take on additional duties as the head of a national nonprofit.

Read the media story here.

Auburn University News, 9/14/06 (Juan Gilbert, Betty Hutchins, Gina Billings)

Auburn University and BDPA Launch IT Institute. Black Data Processing Associates joined with Auburn University in the launch this month of the Information Technology Institute Certification Program, an innovative online service designed to help IT professionals sharpen their technical skills and boost their leadership potential.

Read the media story here.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 9/7/2006 (Juan Gilbert)

Minority Computing Group Establishes IT Institute at Auburn University. The national Black Data Processing Associates organization is kicking off the BDPA Information Technology Institute Certification Program this month...

Read the full media story here.

YouTube, 8/15/2006 (2006 National BDPA Conference)

The BDPA Foundation YouTube account now has 17 videos including these from the 2006 National BDPA Technology Conference was held in Los Angeles CA. This 3-part video runs for a total of 23 minutes. The video produced by video produced by Kevin Jones (Visual Propaganda) and divided into three parts by Jeff Walt (Jeff Walt Designs)


2006 BDPA Conference (1 of 3)




2006 BDPA Conference (2 of 3)




2006 BDPA Conference (3 of 3)


Do you have any memories of the 2006 BDPA conference held in Los Angeles that you can share with us?

VisionIT Media Room, 8/2/2006 (David Segura)

Detroit-based VisionIT CEO Shares Panel with Nation’s Top IT Executives. On Friday, August 4th in Los Angeles, CA, the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) will host its annual luncheon as a part of its 2006 National Technology Conference, which features a panel discussion with some of the nation’s top senior-level information technology executives, including VisionIT president/CEO David H. Segura.

“I am absolutely honored that the BDPA would ask me to engage in such an important discussion along with its members and such an influential group of executives,” said David Segura. “As a U.S.-based supplier with 10 years of IT staffing, outsourcing and vendor management experience, VisionIT brings a unique perspective to this discussion. We have experienced tremendous growth all the while positioning ourselves to become more competitive in the global marketplace.”

Read the full media release here.

Business Wire, 8/1/2006 (Chiji Ohayia)

Capella University PhD Grad Picked to Direct 2006 National Black Data Processing Associates Technology Conference; Chiji Ohayia, a 2005 PhD Graduate of the Online University, Will Direct Conference from August 2-5 in Los Angeles. Chiji Ohayia, a recent PhD graduate of Capella University's School of Business and Technology, will direct the 28th-annual National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology Conference, which will be held August 2 to August 5 at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton. "I am honored to be part of this event. The BDPA is the premiere organization for Black IT professionals and this conference will bring nearly 700 of us together in a truly engaging and inspiring atmosphere," Ohayia said.

Read the full media story here.

PR Newswire, 7/27/2006 (Ken Freeman)

CIGNA Helps Prepare City Youth for Careers in Information Technology. Today, the "computer kids" practice in Philadelphia and Hartford. Next month, with CIGNA's help, they will be on their way to Los Angeles for a national convention for Information Technology (IT). In time, they hope to become leaders in IT across the country.

Read the rest of the article here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, June/July 2006 (Gina Billings)

Meet Gina Billings, BDPA's new president. 'This year's conference will offer more professional development opportunities for our members," says Gina Billings, the new national president of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA, www.bdpa.org). The organization's twenty-eighth annual convention and career fair will be held at the Hilton LAX in Los Angeles, CA this August 2 to 5.

Read the media story here.

Case Western University, 5/16/2006 (Demo Solaru)

Case Weatherhead grad, 46, advances career with EDM degree. Demo Solaru, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in research for his doctoral dissertation for the executive doctor of management degree (EDM) from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management investigated the concept of "flow"—a term first coined by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi in the 1970's—to see if it impacts customer loyalty...

Read the full media story here.

EDS Press Room, 3/29/2006 (Cozy Bailey, Bob Blackwell, Curvie Burton, Deloris McGee, Sharon McNealy, Markita Wadley)

Black History Month at EDS Features Awards, Diversity Celebrations. Four African-American EDS leaders received national honors during Black History Month, which also featured awards for members of an employee network group and corporate sponsorship of other diversity activities...

Read the full media story here.

Hartford Courant, 2/9/2006 (BDPA Hartford)

Event Promotes Computer Use. Before she retired, LisaMarie Clay knew little about computers, and she was baffled by the concept of the World Wide Web. But after a few basic classes, the busy grandmother of three has discovered how helpful the Internet can be. Clay, 50, of West Hartford, said she now relies on her computer in many aspects of her daily life: communicating by e-mail, doing research for her part-time studies at Hartford Seminary and organizing activities such as a women's retreat for her church.

Read the full media story here.

HireStrategy, 12/6/2005 (Wayne Hicks)

Black IT Professionals Launch NoVa Chapter. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) has launched a Northern Virginia chapter to help provide greater professional opportunities for information technology (IT) professionals in Northern Virginia...

Read the full media story here.

DigitalPlumbers, 12/6/2005 (Danielle Templeton, Dwight Hugget)

The 20 Year Milestone for BDPA's High School Computer Competition (HSCC). The competition marked the 20th year that BDPA has trained High School Students in computer programming. The HSCC is an opportunity for teams of high school students from BDPA chapters across the nation to compete for scholarships. The competition is designed to introduce students in grades 9 through 12 to the field of Information Technology, encourage them to seek higher levels of education, and groom many of them to become our next generation of IT professionals. To achieve these ambitious goals the HSCC has evolved into a rigorous competition, comprising three distinct categories that include computer programming, oral questioning, and a written examination.

Read the rest of the DigitalPlumbers article here.

Freddie Mac Pressroom, 12/6/2005 (Wayne Hicks)

Freddie Mac Houses New BDPA Nova Chapter. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) recently launched an official Northern Virginia chapter to help provide greater professional opportunities for information technology (IT) professionals throughout the Northern Virginia corridor. As the founding sponsor, Freddie Mac will house the new local chapter at its McLean, Va., headquarters, and will host the chapter’s first meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 7. Preceding the meeting, there will be a mini job fair for IT professionals from 4- 6:30 p.m.

Read the media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Oct/Nov 2005 (Shirley Bridges)

Transportation technology: open roads, skies & opportunities. Folks in the transportation arena agree it's a wide-open field, especially for talented diverse techies...Shirley Bridges, senior VP and COO at Delta Technology, says her industry is "a great place to be in. The field is constantly changing. You don't have to worry about being bored!"

Read the full media story here.