The Wildcat Roar, 9/23/15 (Jared Orange)

Jared Orange Competes in Code in D.C. Students came back to Westminster this year with many different, interesting stories. Summer seminars, Camp Westminster, and exciting vacations were only a few of the many tales told around the halls. Yet, one story has been mostly untold: a competition held in Washington D.C. for upcoming web designers (cough, hackers, cough cough). Jared Orange, senior, recently attended this prestigious competition with a group of other students in order to prove they have what it takes to be the coders of the future.

BDPA St. Louis HSCC Team

For those not familiar with this competition, the basic layout goes like this. Teams would have to design a webpage using different programs such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language), JavaScript, PHP, among others. The teams are selected by chapter. The chapter’s sponsor would monitor those who signed up and teach them different skills to use on the computer. At the end of the training period, those who were deemed good were selected to compete with the team.

The team came in sixth place overall, much to Orange’s irritation.

“We lost to teams smaller than us which was pretty bad,” he says. “There were a lot of technical difficulties. I don’t know why. You would kinda expect an IT-centered organization to be on top of their game but it was kinda disorganized.”

Despite the loss, Orange says he would participate in the competition again if given the chance.

“It was just fun,” according to Orange, “and I’m opening my mind to more programming. Now I know things like PHP and now I can do a lot of other cool stuff besides Java.”

Read the full Wildcat Roar article.

Tell Us USA, 8/22/2015 (Gen. Colin Powell)

Gen. Colin Powell

National IT Conference Draws General Colin L. Powell. The influence of BDPA was clearly evident with the appearance of four-star General Colin L. Powell as the Town Hall speaker for the 2015 Annual Technology Conference and Career Fair. The connection between IT and a former Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State, was a revelation to the capacity audience and one General Powell joked would surprise most people. “I am perhaps the only person in this room who can program in both Fortran and Cobol.”

Bringing his remarks back home, Powell said “All you young people here have to fully understand is, you are being given opportunity though the programs offered by this great organization, to learn a skill…you do your part to make sure nobody sees anything coming out of you except performance.”

The BDPA programs Powell was talking about include the annual High School Computer Competition [HSCC] and the Youth Technology Camp. The large contingent of young people at the conference also showcase their knowledge of IT with poster board displays, in keeping with the conference theme of “Evolution of IT: Embracing the Digital Future”.

Read the full Tell Us USA article.

Business Wire - 8/10/2015 (2015 National Technology Conference)

BDPA Names Top 2015 Honorary Chairs. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) recently announced Marc Di Francisco, President of Premier Event Management; Terry Halvorsen, Principal Advisor to the Secretary of Defense for Information Management/ Information Technology and Information Assurance; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, congressional representative of the District of Columbia; David L. Steward, President and Chief Executive Officer of World Wide Technology; Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President/CEO of the National Congress of Black Women; and Harry Wingo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce as their top Honorary Chairs at this year’s 37th Annual National Technology Conference and Career Fair, "Evolution of IT--Embracing the Digital Future," August 18-22, 2015 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Read the rest of this Business Wire article.

Cincinnati.com, 6/29/2015 (Tyra Oldham)

Dr. Tyra Oldham

Cincinnati Blacks in Technology: 'Why is the Smart Grid So Important?' So, do you want to collaborate with the like-minded technology professionals of color in our city? Please be our guest for the Cincinnati Blacks in Technology event at Brown Mackie College (1011 Glendale Milford Road; Cincinnati OH 45215) on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 6:00pm. Our discussion will answer the question, 'Why is the Smart Grid So Important?'.

Dr. Tyra Oldham, CEO of LANDsds, a management and consulting company providing sustainability and development, will provide an overview of smart grid and its importance to technology professionals. Smart technologies and smart providers and users are what make this unfolding system relevant and important. Dr. Oldham’s presentation is informative and interactive. Smart grid is not only relevant to our energy, but necessary for users to understand the importance on how we move forward considering people, infrastructure, facilities, business, systems, homes, technology and play. Learn about smart grid, smart grid technology, companies engaged in smart grid, careers

Click here to read the full Cincinnati.com article.

My CState Daily News, 4/16/2015 (Frank Hill)

Frank Hill

Cincinnati State Honored at BDPA Event. Cincinnati State was recognized as the Corporate Sponsor of the Year by the Cincinnati Chapter of the BDPA.  During an awards luncheon last week, the organization also recognized the work of Instructor Frank Hill (pictured above) from the Business Technologies Division and read a proclamation from Ohio Gov. John Kasich recognizing the College’s work in the field.

BDPA was originally known as Black Data Processing Associates. It is an international organization with a diverse membership of professionals and students in the fields of information technology, computer science and related STEM fields. Members are actively engaged in serving the community through outreach and charting the future of the IT industry.

Read the rest of the My CState Daily News article.

UCCA Ambassador Newsletter, 1/31/2015 (Carol Bell)

Carol Bell

Bootstrap Computer Gaming Algorithm Class.  Bootstrap Computer Gaming Algorithm and Career Enrichment Program is a pilot program developed for 7th grade students through BDPA Huntsville chapter (president, Carol Bell). The Bootstrap Computer Gaming and Algorithm Career Enrichment Program is designed to teach students how to develop a video game that can be played on their mobile devices.

BDPA is an international organization with a diverse membership of professionals and students at all levels in the fields of information technology, computer science and related Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

This front-page article appeared in the Jan 2015 issue of the Union Chapel Christian Academy newsletter.

BDPA Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) Program in Huntsville, Alabama from BDPA Education and Technology Foundation

Cincinnati.com, 1/28/2014 (Jessica Waddell)

Jessica Waddell

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New Leadership - Jessica Waddell - BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, announced a new member of its executive team. Jessica Waddell was named the Vice President of Finance. Jessica is a financial analyst at GE Aviation. She handles financial planning, cash forecasting, billing and project management in her current position. She has been working for almost nine years at GE Aviation, one of the largest corporations in Cincinnati. Jessica was vice president of the National Black MBA Association chapter on the campus of Ohio State University, where she earned her degree in Finance.

Read the rest of this Cincinnati.com article.

My Fox Twin Cities, 1/9/2015 (Fred Blocton, Justin Wulf)

My Fox Twin Cities - BDPA Twin Cities is celebrating 25 years of education at its 10th annual awards ceremony. Students learn new technology and compete with other students all over the country.

KMSP-TV

See more.

Cincinnati.com, 12/6/2014 (Clifford Bailey)

Clifford Bailey

Prominent Business Leader to Discuss 'Productivity in the Workplace' with BDPA. BDPA, the premier organization for African American professionals in the information technology industry, will host Clifford Bailey on Wednesday, December 17 @ 6:00pm at the campus of Brown Mackie College (1011 Glendale Milford Road; Cincinnati 45215). He will focus on 'Productivity in the Workplace'. Our guest speaker has a wealth of business success, inspiring thought leadership and passion for teaching that make him a sought after keynote speaker and educator for the past decade.

Read the full Cincinnati.com story.

Cincinnati.com, 12/6/2014 (Norman Phillips)

Norman Phillips

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New Leadership - Norman Phillips. BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, announced a new member of its executive team. Norman Phillips was named the Vice President of Strategy & Planning (VPSP). Norman is an IT architect and manager of business transformation for over 30 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G). P&G is the largest corporation in Cincinnati. Norman is a YMCA Black Achiever as well as a volunteer with the youth ministries at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist. Norman received his computer sciences degree from Southern University.

Read the full Cincinnati.com story.

MillerCoors TapRoom, 10/1/2014 (Norm Fleming)

Norm Fleming

Norm Fleming Achieves National Recognition for MBA Leadership. Norm Fleming is the senior director of enterprise business solutions at MillerCoors, executive sponsor for our HOLA employee resource group and an active member of AAEN. He’s taken the lead to develop talent inside our walls and worked alongside colleagues to expand their reach into the community to empower and build a pipeline of diverse young IT talent.

“No matter your function, personal and business success is rooted in a network of strong relationships where you can achieve personal growth while also making a personal impact.”

During Diversity and Inclusion Week, Norm leveraged those relationships to help bring local retailers to the Chicago HQ to share insights on engaging multicultural consumers—contributing to a standing room only crowd. Retailers and attendees walked away with new ideas and perspectives on building a better partnership to reach our KBDs.

Norm’s leadership impact in the company and the community is why he was named among the “Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive Leaders” by Diversity MBA Magazine. Norm was also honored by National Black MBA Association, Inc. with the “Outstanding MBA of the Year Award” for his work developing future leaders and his commitment to building leadership, fostering an environment for lifelong learning and exemplifying high ethical standards.

NOTE: Norm Fleming is a lifetime member of our BDPA Chicago chapter.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 9/16/2014 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

HSCC Team Award winners, from left: Isaac Gullickson, Prabhjot Singh, Leo Alfred, Preethiya Sekar and Scott Swensen.

BDPA Southern Minnesota Hands Out Awards, Scholarships. The Rochester chapter of a national technology nonprofit presented a series of scholarships and awards at its annual banquet Sunday.

The Black Data Processing Associates, which matches high school students and mentors of all races and gender, held its 15th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet at the Rochester International Event Center. Through an extensive list of mentors and volunteers, BDPA delivers IT to its members, strategic partners and the community, "from the classroom to the boardroom."

Under the theme of "Diverse Opportunities in the Age of Convergence," the group led by founder Betty Hutchins of Mayo Clinic honored its outstanding members and volunteers during an event that featured many local alumni of the BDPA program who are either in college or have gone on to successful careers.

Read the rest of the Rochester Post-Bulletin article.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 9/8/2014 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

BDPA Scholarship Banquet is Sept. 14. The Black Data Processing Associates, Rochester Chapter will hold its 15th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet on Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Rochester International Event Center, 7333 Airport View Drive S.W. A silent auction will be at 4:30 p.m. and dinner at 5:30 p.m.

The annual fundraiser will include awards, scholarship presentations and a celebration of BDPA's contributions to the Rochester community.

Tickets are $45 for adults and $30 for alumni and students.

See the full Rochester Post-Bulletin announcement.

Cincinnati Herald, 9/4/2014 (Hasani Harrigan)

Hasani Harrigan and Frank Hill

Reaching for the Stars honors 2015 Leaders for the Future. The Reaching for the Stars Program takes great pride in identifying, honoring, and creating awareness of young, emerging leaders in the African American community destined to be future leaders of our City. These exceptional leaders epitomize excellence in character, service, leadership, and achievements. The 2015 Leaders for the Future were honored in June in a very special ceremony at the University of Cincinnati’s African American Cultural and Resource Center.

Hasani Harrigan, Seven Hills High School, junior. Hasani is an honor student and a three-sport athlete. He received the Coaches Award for Golf, was the team MVP in baseball, and he played on the basketball team. He was awarded Best Overall Science Portfolio by the Emerging Ethnic Engineers, Outstanding Technical Achievement recognition by the BDPA Cincinnati.

Read the rest of the Cincinnati Herald article.

Fox 6 Now, 8/14/2014 (Norman Fleming, Daijah Kennedy, Makyle McIntyre, Sandra Scott)

BDPA Milwaukee HSCC Team & Instructors

“We did good!” Milwaukee students enter their first computer competition, and come away champions! They may have been part of the only inexperienced team -- but eight Milwaukee students demonstrated their computer skills in a national competition in Indianapolis this past weekend, and they came away with the national championship! Now, with one event under their belt, they are ready for more!

This group of students is being recognized for their tenacity, courage and skill.

The students are part of the Milwaukee chapter of "Black Data Processing Associates" -- or BDPA, which held its national high school computer competition in Indianapolis this past weekend.

"The competition, it was a little intimidating. There was a lot of people to talk to and do all this other stuff and see how far they got as well, but it was fun too to actually do the project," Makyle McIntyre said.

Read the rest of Fox 6 News story.

Indianapolis Recorder, 8/6/2014 (Terry Morris)

Ogochukwu Eburuoh (Bowie State University)

Top Indianapolis STEM Students to be Recognized by BDPA. In conjunction with the 36th annual National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology Conference, top Indianapolis students will be recognized at the BDPA Information Technology (IT) Showcase on August 6-8, 2014, at the JW Marriott, 10 S. West Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The showcase allows students from Indianapolis and United States educational institutions to present and demonstrate their research in Emerging Technology, Wireless, Biometrics, Digital Imaging, Video Production, and Security Professional Development. The presentations represent advanced computing and technical topics presented by college and high school students to an audience of corporate representatives and IT professionals.

More than 100 students will converge in Indianapolis to participate in internships, IT careers, Youth Entrepreneurship, Networking Computers, Software Development, and Building Computers. Training in Academic Enhancement, College Selection and Scholarships, SAT/ACT Preparation, Lifelong Learning Skills, and Personal Development will also be offered. The student presentations and research projects are judged by a panel of three judges in college and high school categories. Awards are made in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place categories and all participants will receive a Certificate of Appreciation award.

“BDPA Indianapolis chapter thanks Dr. Jesse Bemley, Louis Shack, Jeffrey Musgrove, and Clarence T. Moore, Jr., for their continuous commitment to preparing our students for our IT Showcase and competitions,” said Terry Morris, Indianapolis Chapter president. “There is no doubt that we would not be successful without them,” he added.

Read the full Indianapolis Recorder article.

Indianapolis Recorder, 8/6/2014 (Pamela Sexton)

2014 BDPA Career Fair

Black Technology Organization presents Fortune 100 Job Fair. The 36th annual National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Technology Conference will be hosting a two-day free Fortune 1000 Career Fair that is set for August 8-9, 2014, JW Marriott, 10 S. West Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.

Companies interviewing at the BDPA Fortune 1000 Career Fair include: Accenture, BlueCross BlueShield of IL, MT, NM, OK & TX, Deloitte, Eli Lilly and Company, Fifth Third Bank, Hilton Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, MillerCoors, Monsanto, National Security Agency, NextEra Energy, Oracle, Prudential Financial, RYAN Consulting Group, State Farm, Travelers, University of Phoenix, US Air Force, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

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

Read the full Indianapolis Recorder article.

Technology Expresso Cafe, 7/31/2014 (Wayne Hicks)

Read All About It – #TechXOradio Interview’s BETF Executive Director Wayne Hicks (Part 1 & 2) - David Blackman and Jacqueline Sanders are the co-founders of Technology Expresso Cafe, a multimedia platform that promotes all aspects of the IT industry with a focus on BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

An Internet radio interview was conducted with BDPA Education and Technology Foundation executive director Wayne Hicks, however, due to technical difficulties, the show was never archived. David and Jacqueline were kind enough to post a complete transcript of the interview on their website.

Click here to read Part 1 & 2 of the interview.

Click here to read Part 3 & 4 of the interview.

NBC Philadelphia, 6/25/14 (Christian Butts)

Straight A Student Gives Back, Tutors Peers at No Cost. Cherry Hill High School East graduating senior Christian Butts took an honors club requirement to tutor kids after school a step further. Butts made himself available to his peers around-the-clock for online tutoring help at no cost during the school year.

"Well in my mind, I was just trying to help a student in need," said 18-year-old Butts. "For me to ask for money -- it wouldn't be right."

Read the rest of the NBC Philadelphia article.

NOTE: Christian Butts is a member of our BDPA Philadelphia chapter.

Cincinnati.com, 6/10/2014 (Patrick Nelson)

BDPA Announces New Board Leadership. BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, today announced a new member of its board of directors. Patrick Nelson is appointed to serve as the director of the chapter’s benefits department.

BDPA Cincinnati is the 2nd largest (out of 46) chapters in the nation. The Benefits Department procures discounts and other benefits for BDPA Cincinnati chapter members. These benefits fall into the following categories: computer hardware, magazine subscriptions, software, and training. All relevant member benefits are provided to each of the members, and available on the chapter website.

Read rest of this Cincinnati.com article.

Bloomfield College, 6/12/2014 (Coram Rimes)

College Partners with BDPA to Host Non-Profit Computer Camp. Bloomfield College is doing its part to help reverse a declining trend in technological education by teaching young adults the far-reaching powers of computer science.

The four-year, private institution has partnered with BDPA New Jersey to give minority middle school and high school students the chance to expand their knowledge in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines through the Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) Program, held on the College’s 11-acre campus each Saturday.

Bloomfield’s Computer Information Systems department has taken on the role of sponsor for the program, helping to staff the weekly lessons with current undergraduate C.I.S. students who serve as peer mentors for their younger pupils through a College-approved service-learning project.

Read the rest of the Bloomfield College article.

Financial Post, 6/5/2014 (Larry Quinlan)

Larry Quinlan

‘Now IT is Getting Love Letters': How a Company Culture Celebrating Tech Pays Off. When Larry Quinlan, global CIO at Deloitte LLP, took over his post, he freely admits that everyone hated IT.

“Now,” he said, “IT is getting love letters.”

So what changed? The company culture, that’s what. Mr. Quinlan said that what had to be done was build a culture that celebrates technology, so people would change their attitudes towards the technology organization.

During a keynote address at the Interop conference in Las Vegas, he talked attendees through the journey towards an IT culture at Deloitte.

“I’m in the people business,” he said, “and that’s my context.”

Given that context, the fact that many people would rather have a root canal than deal with IT bothers him. A lot. Not only because people are his context, but because if nobody wants to deal with you, you’ll never get a seat at the boardroom table.

Read the rest of the Financial Post article.

NOTE: Larry Quinlan is a member of our BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter and serves on the board for BDPA Education and Technology Foundation.

Southern University Community News, 5/19/2014 (Kahil Reynolds)

SU’s Kahlil Reynolds Wins Scholarship, Internship from National Group. Southern University's Kahlil Reynolds is among six students nationwide to receive a scholarship of up to $10,000 and an internship from the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA).

Reynolds received the Spring 2014 National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Student Member NNOA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship with the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program.

Reynolds, a member of BDPA Baton Rouge chapter, is one of three BDPA student members nationally selected as NNOA Scholars. Each student receives up to $10,000, including paid internships with the Department of the Navy this summer.

Read the rest of the SU article.

Related articles

• NNOA awards scholarships to Hampton Roads students

Creating IT Futures Blog, 3/17/2014 (Dr. Craig Brown)

Early Guidance Positioned Craig Brown for Success. For the most part, the person in charge of Craig Brown’s daily life in high school was his mother. It was Mom who determined what young Craig ate and his curfew time on weekend nights. It was Mom who decided whether he’d done his chores and deserved an allowance for the week.

But Brown’s class schedule — that was Dad’s turf.

Brown leaned toward the humanities and signed up for as many music and art classes as he could.

That’s when Dad got out the red pen.

“Whenever I submitted my class schedule, my dad always changed it. He left one (humanities class) and took out the extras.” Study halls were also in the center of Dad’s chopping block. In their place, the senior Brown penciled in extra math and science courses.

“I always had two math classes and a science, or two sciences and a math,” recalls Brown, 45, who is now the senior partner of a successful IT consultancy business and the newest national president of BDPA.

Read the rest of the Creating IT Futures article here.

Related articles

• BDPA iRadio Show: January 28, 2014 (Dr. Craig Brown)
• Technology Expresso Cafe': Dr. Craig Brown (February 6, 2014)

Cincinnati.com, 1/6/2014 (Hadiya Harrigan)

BDPA Student Wins National Women Technology Award.  Hadiya Harrigan of Lebanon has been selected as one of 35 high school students in the United States to receive the Aspirations in Computing award.  The National Center for Women and Information Technology selected Harrigan from a diverse applicant pool of more than 2,300 students. She has been very active in the BDPA Cincinnati chapter for several years. She participated for the past three years in the local chapter's High School Computer Camp and  national high school computer competitions.  Last year, she received a summer internship co-sponsored by BDPA Cincinnati and BDPA the Luxottica Group.

Read the rest of the article here.

Related articles

• Cincinnati.com, 7/29/2013 (Hadiya Harrigan)
• Cincinnati.com, 6/30/2013 (Hadiya Harrigan, Brian Pulliam)

Rochester Today, 11/1/2013 (Betty Hutchins, Will Smith)

2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions
BDPA Southern Minnesota

They Have 'IT': BDPA Celebrates the Information Technology Industry - Founded in 1975, BDPA had one goal in mind: to get more minorities involved in the computer science and information technology fields. Nearly 40 years later, those fields have grown dramatically, and BDPA (now with 46 chapters) has followed suit.

On Sept. 8, BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter celebrated its continuing mission with its 14th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet, held at the Rochester Event Center. BDPA is open to everyone -- regardless of race or gender -- interested in the IT industry.

"We help develop many skills, such as working with a team, math and computer skills in addition to soft skills such as presenting yourself to adults and speaking in front of a group." says BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter president Will Smith.

An estimated 140 guests attended, according to Betty Hutchins, founder of the local chapter.

"It was a great celebration", Hutchins said, "Just a great night."

Read the full article along with 9-photo slideshow.

Related articles

• KTTC Rochester, 9/9/2013 (Herchran Singh, BDPA Southern Minnesota)
• CollegeRecruiter.com, 4/24/2013 (Herchran Singh)

Slideshare, 10/17/2013 (Gerald Smith)

Gerald Smith

Cincinnati Blacks In Technology: 'IT Certifications vs Experience vs Degrees'.  Businesses are investing in IT to help leverage existing resources more thoroughly and find hidden nuggets to put to use. For this reason, there are now more jobs in the IT field than we've seen in quite a few years. It’s that inevitable fork in the road for an IT professional. As a result, a lot of folks are starting to take another look at the IT field as a career choice. What are employers looking for? Certifications? Experience? Degrees? Some combination of the three? Which is more valuable? The answer to these questions depends upon many factors. After all, not all IT certifications or college degrees or job experiences are the same.

These are questions that will be addressed by our guest speaker, Gerald Smith. Gerald is a senior manager with Sogeti and an IT professional with a number of important certifications in program management and agile transformation. He has been a hiring manager looking over resumes and job seekers during his management career at Kroger and Luxottica Retail. Gerald is also a long-time BDPA supporter … once serving on the board as BDPA Cincinnati chapter VP-Strategy & Planning.

Here is the 27-page deck that Gerald used during his presentation:

Cincinnati Blacks In Technology: 'IT Certifications vs Experience vs Degrees' from Wayne Hicks

Cincinnati.com, 10/7/2013 (Janaya Coleman, Babacar Guise, Dan Henderson, Clarence Larcarte)

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New Board Leadership. BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals, today announced new officers and members of its board of directors. BDPA Cincinnati chapter is the 5th largest (out of 46) chapters in the nation. The chapter meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Read the full Cincinnati.com article.

Black Enterprise, 10/7/2013 (Khalia Braswell)

Digital Undivided Champions Diversity in Tech With FOCUS 100. Digital Undivided isn’t waiting for permission to change the current tech landscape, which is largely (and unapologetically) young, white and male. In fact, Kathryn Finney, managing director at Digital Undivided, mobilized to flip the script, creating the FOCUS 100 technology conference which brings together tech companies with black women founders/co-founders, angel and venture investors, leading corporations and those invested in the future of tech.

Sponsored by Google, the Global Hack allowed students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts alike to code their way to the grand prize, which included $500, Nexus 7 tablets and Rasberry Pi systems. Graduate students Khalia Braswell, Aqueasha Martin and France Jackson, as well as Wanda Eugene, PhD, won the hackathon with an app that allows users to identify healthier ingredients for recipes and places them on a leader board where they will be ranked by others who also have the app. The more points a recipe earns, the greater the reward.

Braswell sent out a celebratory message on Twitter after the win: “We won our first hackathon!!”

Read the entire Black Enterprises article.

NOTE:  Khalia Braswell is a BDPA Charlotte chapter member.

Rochester Post-Bulletin, 10/1/2013 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)

High Achievers Honored at BDPA Annual Banquet. It was a night of celebration at the BDPA Southern Minnesota's 14th annual Scholarship and Education Banquet on Sept. 8 at the Rochester International Event Center. The Southern Minnesota chapter of the BDPA awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships and numerous awards. BDPA is a global member-focused organization that positions its members at the forefront of the information technology industry. Through an extensive list of mentors and volunteers, BDPA delivers IT to its members, strategic partners and the community, 'from the classroom to the boardroom'.

Read the rest of the Rochester Post-Bulletin article.