Inside Higher Ed, 9/19/2012 (Dr. Juan Gilbert)

Clemson Computer Science Professors, Juan Gilbert (2nd from left)

Critical Mass. Of the 56 Black computer science professors nationwide, a full 10 percent are clustered in one place: Clemson University. Clemson boasts six African American tenure-track or tenured professors. Its doctoral students account for 10 percent of African American computer science Ph.D. candidates, too. Those numbers come from the Computing Research Association, which surveyed 267 institutions and found that Black computer scientists account for just 1.4 percent of computer science faculty.

Read the rest of this Inside Higher Ed article.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 8/17/2012 (Mike Espey, Hassan Hassan, Melcon Hinds, Daniel Sheppard, Herchran Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Adwait Walimbe)

BDPA Southern Minnesota Students win at National Competition. BDPA Southern Minnesota students won two awards at the annual national conference in Baltimore last month. In the IT Showcase, a competition for college students from around the country, Adwait Walimbe (Southern Minnesota Chapter alumni) placed third.

The High School Computer Competition team, which included Mike Espey, Hassan Hassan, Daniel Sheppard, Herchran Singh and Prabhjot Singh, placed fourth.

"While our goal this year was to win, I'm most proud of our students for their resolve to compete at the highest level in web development programming," Hinds said. "Their commitment to spend three hours each Saturday between December and May should be applauded. The preparation, work ethic and teamwork that these students show throughout the year leading up to the competition, as well as time spend helping the next generation of students in the program, leave me in awe."

Read the full Post-Bulletin article.

IT-oLogy Blog, 8/15/2012 (Nathaniel Abraham, Tyra Foulks, Brandi Taylor)

BDPA Greater Columbia Chapter Brought Home the Gold by Placing 1st at the BDPA Technology Conference. BDPA Greater Columbia students and instructors did an OUTSTANDING job representing the chapter, its sponsors IT-oLogy, Wal-Mart, BlueCross BlueShield of SC and the State of South Carolina at the 34th BDPA National Technology Conference held in Baltimore, MD July 31 – August 4, 2012. The chapter also received high marks in several other category competitions.

Read the rest of the IT-oLogy Blog post.

Compuware Community Clicks, 8/13/2012 (Cameron Hughes, Austin Little, Charles McIntosh) )

BDPA Detroit Team Finishes in Top 10 in National Competition. It wasn’t easy, but they did it — with skill, hard work and determination. The BDPA Detroit team built an application from scratch, finishing in the top 10 in the National High School Computer Competition, Aug. 2-4 in Baltimore. Team members Austin Little, Charles McIntosh Jr. and Cameron Hughes were upbeat about the experience. Little, 17, of the University High School Academy in Southfield, was a second time participant in the competition. While he lamented spending lots of time fixing things as they built the application, he was positive about competing: “We learned a lot, and it will benefit us in the future,” he said.

Read the rest of the Compuware Community Clicks article.

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.

Market Watch, 8/8/2012 (Juan Gilbert)

Computing Professors Receive NCWIT Research Mentoring Award for Work with Students. The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has announced the inaugural recipients of its annual Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. The recipients were selected for their outstanding mentorship, creation of high-quality research opportunities, recruitment of women and minority students, and efforts to encourage and advance undergraduate students in computing-related fields.

One of the 2012 NCWIT Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award-winners:

• Dr. Juan Gilbert: IDEaS Professor and Chair at the Human-Centered Computing Division, Clemson University School of Computing, Clemson, South Carolina. Dr. Gilbert's research lab is home to nearly 8% of the nation's African-American computer science PhD students, many of whom joined his group through a summer research experience. Of his undergraduate proteges, 88% have continued on to graduate school.

See the list of the other NCWIT award winners.

Black Enterprise, 8/7/2012 (Aniesia Williams)

Entrepreneur Aniesia Williams Takes Care of Business at The Challenge. A few years ago, Aniesia Williams, now Chief Branding Strategist of The Beleza Group Agency, found herself in this very predicament, started her business, and has been growing ever since. From 2009 through today, Williams has led The Beleza Group to become a sought after multifaceted consulting agency for several different types of brands including businesses, nonprofits and celebrities.

"Right now we are working with National BDPA, one of the largest and diverse nonprofits. We are working with Rodney Green of course, one of the highest profile black directors of golf in the country. He has done the golf clinic at the Black Enterprise Golf & Tennis Challenge for the past twelve years."

Read the full Black Enterprises article.

Compuware Community Clicks, 8/2/2012 (Ron Bell, Cameron Hughes, Austin Little, Charles McIntosh II)

Detroit Computer Wizards Go for the Gold in National Competition. Develop another award-winning application. That’s what the team of three students from the BDPA Detroit chapter plan to do starting today at the National High School Computer Competition in Baltimore, MD. Twelfth graders Austin Little and Cameron Hughes, joined by eleventh grader Charles McIntosh II, will vie for the gold with 18 other teams from around the country.

Read more.

Prince George's Suite Magazine, 7/28/2012 (Perry Carter)

Perry Carter

African American Technology Group brings National Conference to Baltimore. Inside a lecture hall on the campus of Bowie State University a group of middle school students huddle around rows of computer monitors. They’re using software from MIT to create their own Apps for devices that use the Android operating system.

A few feet away, in another room, high school students are working on a robotics project, where they program an electric car to successfully navigate the turns of a makeshift obstacle course.

The youngsters are part of a technology camp run by Daryl Stone, assistant professor of computer science at Bowie State. While the two groups were clearly having fun, they were also getting a head start for the job market that awaits them.

Educators and employment specialists alike say the next wave of jobs will require skillsets from the so-called STEM-related fields that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Areas, where often times African Americans are underrepresented.

BDPA, a national organization composed mostly of black technology professionals, has been working to reverse that trend for over 30 years. The Largo-based group will hold its 34th annual technology conference at the Baltimore Hilton from August 1 to 4.

In addition to professional and technical seminars the conference also features a career fair in the Baltimore Convention Center that is free and open to the public on Aug. 3 and 4. More than 80 companies are expected to attend. Stand out applicants will be asked to sit for on-the-spot interviews.

Perry Carter is president of BDPA Washington, DC chapter where more than 80 percent of the members are from Prince George’s County. Carter, who lives in Bowie, stresses the importance of staying sharp on tech trends that drive the workplace.

“I think it would help for most adults no matter where they are in their career to be passionate about what they want to do to further their career,” Carter said. “From a tech perspective they should also be passionate about the tools and applications that help them do what they do better.”

Read the rest of the Prince George's Suite Magazine article.

PR Newswire, 7/27/2012 (Monique Berry)

BDPA, the largest and oldest non-profit organization of African American professionals working in or having an interest in the computer science and information technology fields announced the launch of an information technology job board called ITDiversityCareers. Candidates with technology experience are able to register for free at ITDiversityCareers to make valuable connections with employers.

"We wanted to assist our members and all IT professionals with their job searches. Information technology is in high demand and with salaries on the rise employers are constantly looking for better ways to connect with the IT community," says Monique Berry, NBDPA president. "Our members are both diverse and some of the best in their field. By sponsoring ITDiversityCareers we are also providing a great resource to corporate recruiters."

In 2011 nearly 1/3 of all jobs were filled online. Specialty job boards like ITDiversityCareers have great appeal to recruiters as they can target a diverse workforce in specific disciplines. For candidates it allows them to view employment opportunities from employers who value their expertise and are committed to diversity.

"We want to increase the number of resources available to the IT community. BDPA has a longstanding commitment to assist everyone from the veteran career professional to the young professional in their career choices," says Berry.

Read more.

Market Watch, 7/25/2012 (Monique Berry)

National BDPA, the largest and oldest non-profit organization of African American professionals working in or having an interest in the computer science and information technology fields is gearing up for their 34th Annual Technology Conference & Career Fair in Baltimore, MD, August 1-4. In what is slated to be one of their most innovative events to date, it is the women of BDPA that are steering the helm on the conference's ship to success.

Founded by Earl Pace and the late David Wimberly as an answer to the lack of Black representation in the technology field; BDPA now serves a diverse membership including programmers, analysts, engineers, managers, instructors, and entrepreneurs, many of which are women. Since its inception in 1975, nearly 50 percent of BDPA national and local presidents have been women. There has been a woman in the top spot since 2006 with over 13 regional chapters led by women. Of the four top national leadership positions, three belong to women overseeing strategy, finance and member services.

"There is a noticeable lack of women, and specifically women in leadership roles within the science, technology, engineering and math fields. It's important for women to take on leadership roles in the STEM fields because women leaders can attract and, as mentors, help guide more women and girls toward rewarding careers in these fields," says current national president Monique Berry. "STEM careers are extremely important to the global economy. Attracting and retaining more women in STEM careers will help to improve diversity, maximize creativity, and boost competitiveness. The United States, compared to many other leading and steadily emerging countries, lacks a strong focus on educating scientists and engineers."

Read the rest of this Market Watch article.

PR Newswire, 7/20/2012 (Monique Berry)

National BDPA announced the selection of six outstanding information technology and civic professionals to receive the coveted Epsilon Awards for Professional Achievement, Career Achievement, Most Promising Technologist and Community Service for 2012. Epsilon Awards are presented annually to outstanding IT professionals and companies that exemplify professional excellence and diversity in the information technology industry. The 2012 Epsilon Awards will be presented at the 2012 National BDPA Technology Conference Awards Gala on Saturday, August 4 to be held in Baltimore, Maryland at the luxurious Hilton Baltimore Hotel.

Susan Gordon Barker, IT Executive /Leadership Programs, General Electric Healthcare and Baron Thrower, Managing Director IT Innovation, Security & Cost Take Out, The Thrower Group will be recognized with the Epsilon Award for Professional Achievement. Gwendolyn Davis, Vice President & Division Manager, KeyBank and Julius Clark, Computer & Network Security, Wells Fargo will be honored with the Epsilon Award for Career Achievement. Rashsaan Alston, Operations & Voice Technology Manager, Wells Fargo will be honored with the Epsilon for Most Promising Technologist. And William Holdipp, Jr., Manager of Research & Member Services, Consortium of African American Organizations will receive the Epsilon Award for Community Service.

Corporate Epsilon Award winners are Intel, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Hewlett Packard Company, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Health Care Service Corporation, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

"We are honored to recognize the best companies for Blacks in IT and the individual award winners," says Monique F. Berry, national president of NBDPA. "These companies are a testament to corporate values and cultures of diversity and inclusion. The individual winners demonstrate a commitment to professional achievement as well as making a positive impact on the people and communities they serve."

Read the full PR Newswire release.

PRvNewswire, 7/19/2012 (Pamela Sexton)

Top African American Tech Association Creates Job and Networking Opportunities During 34th Annual Technology Conference. BDPA, the largest non-profit organization of African American technology professionals, will be hosting a two-day technology career fair on Friday, August 3 from 12 pm to 6 pm and continuing on August 4 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Baltimore Convention Center. The fair will afford science, technology, engineering and math professionals the opportunity to speak with recruiting representatives from a host of technology companies, consulting firms and government agencies. The fair is hosted in affiliation with the 34th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference.

With the U.S. unemployment rate looming at a staggering 8.2 percent, BDPA has centered the 2012 conference towards "Transforming the IT Professional." Attendees to the conference and career fair will experience a dynamic line up of workshops, seminars and expositions that will educate and inspire. The organization plans to host the national conference in the DC metro area for the next two years as well as to establish itself as a local resource for stimulating the economy, employer search efforts and unemployed.

"The career fair will enable the Beltway and conference attendees to visit with numerous public, private and government companies and agencies regarding career opportunities," says National BDPA vice president of Strategy & Planning, Pamela Sexton. "Since admission to the career fair is complimentary, NBDPA is able to give back to the community in terms of employment opportunities and further promote our brand through this effort."

Read the rest of the PRNewswire media release.

ConnXus Blog, 7/9/2012 (BDPA Cincinnati, Wayne Hicks)

BDPA Advances IT From Classroom to Boardroom. BDPA was formed in the mid-1970s to address a challenge that lingers today: a lack of African-American representation in the IT industry.

Since the first chapter was launched in Philadelphia, BDPA has become a sophisticated national organization. The nonprofit aim is to identify and advance African American leaders in IT.

“We provide programs, scholarships and services to help our communities win the future,” Wayne Hicks, BDPA Education and Technology Foundation executive director, tells us.

Read the rest of this ConnXus Blog post.

Baltimore Business Journal, 7/9/2012 (2012 BDPA Conference)

BDPA to Hold Career Fair in Baltimore. A leading association of black information technology and engineering professionals will arrive in Baltimore next month for its 34th annual conference and career fair. Members of the Black Data Processing Associates, a Largo-based nonprofit, will gather at the Baltimore Hilton on Aug. 1 for the “Transforming the IT Professional” conference. The event will run through Aug. 4.

Read the rest of this Baltimore Business Journal article.

Sacramento Bee, 7/6/2012 (2012 BDPA Conference, Monique Berry)

BDPA to Host 34th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference & Career Fair in Baltimore, MD. BDPA, the largest non-profit organization of African American professionals working in or having an interest in the computer science and information technology fields, will make Baltimore, Maryland the home of their 34th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference & Career Fair. The 3-day event will rally the top tier of tech titans with thousands of IT professionals, students and corporate participants for an interactive series of innovative expos and workshops on August 1-4 at the Baltimore Hilton.

"Over the years, the National BDPA Technology Conferences have taken on unique personalities based on the venues in which they were held, as well as the character of their host chapters and leadership team," says Monique Berry, president of BDPA. "Attendees have access to top-notch keynote speakers, topical educational sessions, and a myriad of networking opportunities along with recreation; all in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere."

Read the rest of the Sacramento Bee article.

Vimeo, 7/4/2012 (BDPA Detroit)

BDPA Detroit June 2012 Information Exchange Meeting: Google Android Development. A recording of the June 2012 BDPA Detroit June 2012 Information Exchange Meeting on Google Android Development.


BDPA Detroit June 2012 Information Exchange Meeting: Google Android Development from William Bowen on Vimeo.

View the full video from BDPA Detroit member William Bowen.

YouTube, 6/25/2012 (Felicia Jones)

CHOZEN AWARDS Entrepreneur and Tech Talk at Microsoft Store. Presented by The Raphael Baker Agency the CHOZEN AWARDS Interactive Live Stream and Founder's Therapy welcomes the Black Founders to Atlanta in tech style. Watch as CNN Contributor Clyde Anderson speaks to BDPA Atlanta chapter president Felicia Jones, ShockTheory Interactive founder Sonja N. Williams and DryerBuzz.com CEO Yalanda Lattimore.






Here is the link to this YouTube video.

IT-oLogy Blog, 6/21/2012 (BDPA Greater Columbia)

BDPA Greater Columbia Chapter to Host Regional Competition. High School students will demonstrate their STEM skills at the 2012 BDPA Southeast Regional High School Computer Competition and IT Showcase. The competition will be held on Saturday, June 23rd, at IT-oLogy, a local sponsor of the event. BDPA Greater Columbia chapter will host the event, with participants arriving in South Carolina from as far away as Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham and Washington, DC. The regional competition is a warm-up for the national HSCC and IT Showcase championships held August 1-4, 2012 at the National BDPA Technology Conference in Baltimore, MD.

Read the rest of the IT-oLogy Blog post.

The Triangle Tribune, 6/20/2012 (Justin Harris)

Teen Envisions Professional Network for Peers. As a young child, Justin Harris began his road to entrepreneurship with his first Kool-Aid stand. He later developed a website to market his business and by age 13, he realized he was an entrepreneur. Justin, now 15, won the Spark Opportunity Challenge, a competition that asks young people to share their ideas on how to create local jobs and opportunities for youth. He won for his idea to create Envision - the world’s first professional social network for teenage entrepreneurs – to build teams, collaborate on business ideas and raise funds.

Read the rest of the Triangle Tribune article.

NOTE: Justin is a member of our BDPA Triangle chapter.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 6/20/2012 (Dorothy Richburg)

CEO Richburg Credits Business Success to Encouragement from Others. Sitting down to talk to Dorothy Richburg is like being with a friend. She’s so warm and kind, it’s easy to forget she’s one of the most influential women in the Twin Cities. Richburg is founder and president of KCS, a Maplewood-based information technology solutions company that she and her husband Joe started 25 years ago. The company employs more than 165 people, does business in seven states, and has numerous clients, including several of Minnesota’s largest employers such as General Mills, 3M Company and Medtronics.

Read the rest of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

PR.com, 6/17/2012 (BDPA New York)

Len Leach

Vice President of Information Technology and Services for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) to Present at Microsoft for BDPA New York Chapter. BDPA New York announced today that Len Leach, Vice President of Information Technology and Services for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), will provide critical technology tips for BDPA New York members, small business owners, and technology enthusiasts at their upcoming professional development meeting. The Student Information Technology Education Scholarship (SITES) program, which consists of the IT Showcase and High School Computer Competition (HSCC) will also be highlighted at this program meeting.

Read the rest of the PR.com press release.

Middletown Press, 6/13/2012 (Matthew Lampkin)

Middlesex Community College Computer Club Receives Computer Donations From Area Companies. The student-run Computer Club at Middlesex Community College is the recipient of two separate computer donations, according to a press release issued by the college Tuesday. Donations were made by Computer Sciences Corp. of East Hartford and SPX Precision Components of Newington. Computer Sciences Corp. donated 20 laptop computers and five desktop computers, after participating in a networking event hosted by the computer club. Matthew Lampkin, president of the BDPA Hartford chapter, a supporter of the club, organized the outreach event for the club.

Read the full Middletown Press article.

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."

Read the rest of this Diversity/Careers article.

YouTube, 3/22/2012 (DS Brown)

2012 Success Alliance. BDPA Atlanta vice president DS Brown shares his thoughts on the career development programs unfolding within his chapter.

Charlotte Observer, 4/9/2012 (Nicole Hoffler)

12 Area Students Win Achievement Awards. A dozen high school students from the Charlotte area have been named winners of Achievement Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. They are among about 800 national winners of the awards, given to top African American high school seniors. The awards total more than $2 million and are financed by grants from 29 corporate and professional organizations. This year’s Achievement Scholarship winners from the area include:

Cabarrus County: Nicole Hoffler, Cox Mill High (plans to study information technology).

[NOTE: Nicole is a 4-time member of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Charlotte chapter]

Read the rest of the Charlotte Observer article.

IT-oLogy, 4/7/2012 (BDPA Greater Columbia)

BDPA Student Showcase.  For the past 3 months, a dedicated group of middle and high school students have been hard at work to design and produce interactive games, developing and exploring their skills that can lead to a career in information technology. The Black Data Processing Associates local chapter supports and leads the 2012 High School Computer Training Program every Saturday from January to April. This group of students will be showcasing their projects, along with robotic demonstrations by Keenan High School and Lake Marion High School and Technology Center, this Saturday at IT-oLogy. Other participants include Holly Hill – Roberts Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Magnet School, St. James-Gaillard Elementary School and Forest Lake Elementary School.

Read the rest of the IT-oLogy event announcement.

IT-oLogy, 4/6/2012 (BDPA Greater Columbia)

BDPA Showcase - Awesome Students! For the past year, I have been hearing about a group of dedicated high school students participating in the High School Computer Training Program through the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). This group of students (and awesome volunteers) are at IT-oLogy every single Saturday during the school year working on IT-related projects and preparing for the national competition.

Read the rest of this IT-oLogy blog post.

SharePoint Cowbell, 4/1/2012 (Ricardo Wilkins)

Ricardo Wilkins

SharePoint Crash Course webinar with BDPA Atlanta. On Tuesday, April 3rd at 7pm EST, I’ll be delivering an online webinar for the Atlanta chapter of the BDPA as part of their Tech Talks series. I’ve got 90-minutes to give a crash course to attendees on everything that is the wonderful world of SharePoint – that’s right, from calendars to content types, from lists to libraries, from RBS to BCS.

My intent is do a 60-minute lap around the “wheel”, then wrap up with some live demo of solutions that attendees can do as soon as they get back to their office or friendly-neighborhood VPN. Q&A will also be included.

Read the rest of the SharePoint Cowbell blog post.

Cincinnati.com, 3/2/2012 (Clarence Larcarte, Kevin Murray)

CinBell CIO Kevin Murray to Share Road To Success With BDPA Cincinnati. Do you remember when there were payphones on every street corner? Do you remember when you worried about the cost of each individual toll- or long-distance call? Do you remember when only cable companies provided you with television service or Internet connections at home? We live in a brave new world now ... and the evolution of service from Cincinnati Bell impacts on all of us in a variety of ways.

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom, wants to assist the community with programs that prepare you and your family to 'win the future'.

Read the rest of the Cincinnati.com article.