BDPA Foundation

Charitable Giving at Major Corporations

2009-07-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

Many of the largest American companies plan to decrease their charitable donations in 2009, or at least keep them level with last year's, according to the latest Chronicle survey of corporate giving.

Table: Companies That Have Increased Giving to Hard-Hit Charities Due to the Recession
Table: The Chronicle's Annual Corporate-Giving Survey: By the Numbers
Table: Companies That Made 50% or More of Their Gifts in Products
Table: Companies That Gave More Than $10-Million to Charities Outside the United States

Read the full article here.

Business Compute-N-Show: Finding Free Applications and Utilities on the Internet (Video)

2009-07-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

April Jackson, Desktop Support Specialist and BDPA Memphis member, is interviewed on the Business Compute-N-Show by host Nancy Ford in Memphis, TN. This show originally aired in January 2009.

What is your favorite FREE application or utility?

Where Are They Now? Hayes Modems

2009-07-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

What they were: Dial-up modems from the company whose founder, Dennis Hayes, essentially invented the PC modem in the 1970s. The commands he devised became such a standard that all dial-up modems use them to this day. Hayes dominated the modem business for years -- it was as synonymous with the product category it pioneered as any tech company before or since.

What happened: Well, dial-up modems don’t matter as much as they once did, in case you hadn’t noticed. But Hayes’ decline and fall dates to well before the death of dial-up: The company stubbornly kept prices high even in the face of much cheaper competition, and thought its future lay in making ISDN modems, a market that never took off. It declared bankruptcy in 1994 and again in 1998, and was liquidated in 1999.

Current whereabouts: In 1999, Zoom Telephonics -- the company whose dirt-cheap modems played a major role in crushing Hayes -- bought the Hayes name. It continues to market a few Hayes-branded modems. But it’s a pretty obscure fate for a once-mighty brand -- I didn’t know it was still extant at all until I checked.

SOURCE: 'Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die' by Harry McCracken.

BDPA Hall of Fame Member #1: Earl Pace (Philadelphia)

2009-07-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

BETF-Blog is proud to announce the inaugural member of the mythical BDPA Hall of Fame ... Earl A. Pace Jr! BDPA existed in the mind of Earl Pace before it became a reality. Earl worked with David Wimberly and others to turn their vision into a reality.

Earl A. Pace Jr. has been in the Information Technology industry since 1965. He began as a computer programmer trainee at the Pennsylvania Railroad. He left the PRR in 1967.

Over the next ten years he rose through the ranks of programmer, programmer analyst, programming manager to Vice President of a financial telecommunications company in Philadelphia, PA.

He became a business owner in 1976 when he incorporated Pace Data Systems for which he is still president. Pace Data Systems is a full service Information Technology firm providing services through its Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC offices primarily to Banks and Savings Banks.

In 1975 he co-founded Black Data Processing Associates in Philadelphia and operated as its president for two years, In 1978 he coordinated the formation of BDPA into a national organization and functioned as its First National President until 1980. BDPA has grown into the largest national professional organization representing minorities in the IT industry.

Within BDPA and on a broader national scale, Earl Pace has been a vocal advocate for business ownership. His primary message since starting BDPA has been that minorities should strive to rise above just a job to Board of Director’s membership and beyond that to owning and operating their own businesses.

Earl Pace continues to be very active in the business and education community in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. As well as other cities in which he has business interests that enable him to be present regularly.

Please use the COMMENTS section below to share your thoughts, memories or insights about Earl Pace.

P&G Undergraduate Colloquium Information: Application -- Deadline: July 31, 2009

2009-07-15T03:15:00.000-04:00

A Unique Experience

You are invited to apply to the R&D Colloquium. The Colloquium is designed to give undergraduate chemistry and life science majors a broad overview of the current state of research in the health and beauty care industry. Some of the program highlights include:

The Colloquium is held annually in the fall in Cincinnati, Ohio. Applications are accepted year-round but must be submitted by July 31 to be considered for that year's event.The Colloquium is primarily intended for African-American, Asian, Hispanic and Native American undergraduate students. All qualified candidates, however, will be considered.

Accommodation, meals and travel expenses will be paid for by P&G. The Colloquium language is English.This opportunity to get an inside view of industrial R&D will be offered to a limited number of candidates. Applicants must be full-time college students, preferably in their junior or senior year, majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, chemical engineering technology, chemical technology or another life-science-related program. [Read More]

Preparing for the ACT/SAT Exams

2009-07-14T23:15:00.003-04:00

I wanted to make sure that the “Class of 2010” or those students needing to prepare for the upcoming ACT and SAT that they have information that allows them to perform or do the best that he or she can. It is my hope that you will share the information with others so that they can prepare for the exam(s) as well. The opportunity should always be shared with the individuals wanting to take the ACT/SAT; be it “Class of 2009”, GED or non-Traditional students because college is open to all regardless of age, career or profession.

I am often reminded of the students that I and others have assisted or guided in workshops or through advice. Some of the students that stand out are those students that didn’t have a mentor, had low self-esteem or didn’t think that they could pass the exam or could even attend college. I am especially pleased with Julian’s story. A student that wanted to attend college, but didn’t believe he could. At the time, Julian had just graduated with the “Class of 2008”, but during August of 2008, he had never applied for college or taken the ACT. But in my meeting with him, I felt he had a fire and desire to want to achieve and had the ability to do so. I advise him how to prepare for the ACT and to utilize the links on my blog, Planning and Preparing for College (Scholarships, Internships, Etc) located at http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com/ . He took the advice and took the ACT exam and scored a 21 on his first try which allowed him to be eligible for the TN Lottery and get assistance's to attend college.

The reason the workshops were successful is because it taught students’ methods and techniques and to utilize practice exams to build up their test skills and speed. In the end, knowledge is powerful, if used properly.

Below is a link that provides two technique documents (Math and Science) that I summarize from our workshops that I offer as tips along with suggested websites to practice the ACT/SAT with.

How To Prepare for the ACT/SAT

I encourage students to take 3 to 4 days a week with 2-3 hours per day and to complete your online test. Performing these practices will allow you to understand the exams better and to build up your timing and be able to complete the full exam. If a student doesn't understand how to solve the problems or get the answer then they should seek additional help through their teachers at school, an expert in the subject area, etc. The key is to learn the method/techniques to solve the problems or questions.

Grant Award: IBM

2009-07-14T19:30:00.002-04:00

We are very pleased to report that IBM sent BETF a $1,000 corporate community cash grant on behalf of Paulette Johnson-Davis for her hours of volunteer service.

The grant will be placed in the restricted Greater Columbia chapter fund to be used for their high school technology training program.

The IBM Corporate Community Cash Grant is a remarkable funding opportunity for any BDPA chapter with IBM employees or retirees in its membership.

Does your chapter have any IBMers in it?

Where Are They Now? Dot-Matrix Printers

2009-07-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

What they were: The printer you probably owned if you had a PC in the house any time from the late 1970s until the early to mid-1990s. Models like the Epson FX-80 and the Panasonic KX-P1124 were noisy and slow, and the best output they could muster was the optimistically named “near letter quality.” But they were affordable, versatile and built like tanks.

What happened: Beginning in the early 1990s, inkjet printers from HP, Epson and Canon started to get pretty good -- their output came far closer to rivaling that of a laser printer than dot-matrix ever could. And then, in the mid-1990s, inkjet makers added something that killed the mass-market dot-matrix printer almost instantly: really good color. (I still remember having my socks knocked off by the original Epson Stylus Color when I saw it at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1994.) There was simply no comparison between even the best dot-matrix printer and a color inkjet.

Current whereabouts: Nobody ever thinks about dot-matrix printers anymore, but they haven’t gone away -- my local Office Depot still stocks them, in fact. That’s because they have at least two valuable features inkjet and laser models can’t match: Because the dot-matrix printhead hits the paper with a hard whack, they’re perfect for printing multiple-part forms, and their use of tractor-feed mechanisms rather than dinky trays lets them print thousands of pages without a paper refill. Consequently, small businesses everywhere refuse to give them up. It won’t startle me if there are still Epsons productively hammering out invoices and receipts a couple of decades from now, assuming we still use paper at all.

SOURCE: 'Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die' by Harry McCracken.

2009 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology

2009-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

National BDPA and WorkplaceDiversity.com, the source for diversity talent, announced Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, Compuware, Eli Lilly and Company, Health Care Service Corporation, Merck and Company, Monsanto, State Farm Insurance, SunTrust Bank, Wal-Mart Stores, and WellPoint as the winners of the 2009 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award.

"These companies deserve special recognition for their outstanding community outreach and diversity recruiting programs and for promoting a significant number of African Americans into their IT management ranks," said Milt Haynes, National BDPA Past President. "One of these companies will be announced as the Top Company for Blacks in Technology and receive the much coveted Epsilon Award."

The Epsilon Award is presented annually to the top company in the nation that promotes a workplace and environment that supports the advancement of Blacks in the information technology industry. The Epsilon Award will be presented later this year at the 2009 National BDPA Technology Conference to be held August 5-9 the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, NC.

"We are very pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions that these companies have made for Blacks in Technology," said National BDPA President, Denise Holland. "In this economy, many African Americans in technology are concerned about opportunities for both employment and advancement. It is important to recognize those exceptional companies that have provided African Americans with challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in Information Technology."

BDPA Corporate Sponsors and Supporters were asked to complete a comprehensive survey that was used to rate their performance in the areas of Demographics, Diversity Programs, Diversity (Training, Affinity Groups), Tenure, Promotions and Terminations, Diversity Recruiting, Career Path Programs, Minority Vendor Programs, and Community Outreach.

"BDPA is the voice of African Americans in IT," said Dan Honig, Chief Operating Officer of WorkplaceDiversity.com. "WorkplaceDiversity.com is honored to be working with BDPA because it is committed to closing the digital divide and helping African American IT professionals advance." Added Honig, "We are very pleased to recognize these companies that are truly practicing workplace diversity in their IT departments."

HSCC Testimonial: Andreaus Robinson (Chicago)

2009-07-13T11:00:00.002-04:00

BETF is actively raising funds to support youth education programs taking place all over the nation. In today's tight economy it is important that all BETF donors clearly understand why we need financial support. We hope that as you learn more about the young people that we support ... you will be more open to secure online donation.

Today, we would like to introduce you to a national champion and Jesse Bemley Scholar. Andreaus Robinson and his teammates, trained by BDPA Chicago chapter, won the national championship in 2006. Andreaus earned a bronze medal for his efforts at the national high school computer competition (HSCC) held in 2007.

Here are his thoughts on BDPA:

My name is Andreaus Robinson; I participated on national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) teams trained by BDPA Chicago chapter in 2006 and 2007. Our team won the championship in 2006 and took third place in 2007.

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Champaign. My major at this point is computer science; however, I plan to pursue a minor in business and possibly degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. I know this may sound like a lot, but I am a highly ambitious person I have many career goals I plan to pursue. I desire a career in robotics, which is why I am trying to get so many degrees; I want to know as much as I can about the different sides of robotics. I also plan to one day own my technology company, which is why I also want to minor in business so that I’ll be fairly business-savvy as well.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of interning for several different companies. The first was for my dad’s architecture company when I was only 15, for which I designed a project management tool based off the needs of the company. My next internship opportunity came in 2006 when I worked for a professor at DePaul University. I worked with Professor Jane Huang and her team to design a traceability application that they were building for Siemens. This provided a great opportunity for me because my name was published on a project and I got the opportunity to work with a group of foreign students.

My most recent internship was in 2008, when I was working for Allstate Insurance Company as a developer helping to create the next installment of the employee desktop page. This was a wonderful opportunity for me because it was a large project and I was able to learn a lot while working on this project, as well as personally work with people who had been programming for years. It was also nice to see firsthand how life working in IT might actually be.

I owe my thanks to BDPA for acquiring this internship, because Willie Anderson an active member of BDPA as well as the IT director at Allstate helped me acquire this position.

Share some BDPA-Love with Andreaus and the BDPA Chicago chapter volunteers that worked with him in 2006-2007!

Will You Buy Amazon Kindle at $299 Discounted Price?

2009-07-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

A number of my colleagues rave about Amazon's 6-inch Kindle. I haven't made the move because cost is a factor in my decision. Currently, I go to my local library on a weekly basis and check out books or DVDs at no cost. Amazon is sweetening the deal and the discounted price of $299 for Kindle may cause me to make the move.

I'm told that this lightweight Kindle is about the size of a typical magazine and holds over 1,500 books. Evidently, Kindle reads like a real paper with clear text and crisp images.

The Kindle Store now has over 300,000 books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs. With an advanced 3G wireless connection on your Kindle, any BDPAer can start reading books in less than 60 seconds.

I need some insights from BDPAers that have a Kindle already. Are you pleased with your purchase?

What say u?

Dr. Randal Pinkett Joins ITSMF

2009-07-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

In April 2009, Dr. Randal Pinkett was officially accepted as a member of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) where he will continue to lend his expertise and knowledge in IT and other subject matters.

"I can personally attest to the phenomenal growth that [Dr. Pinkett] will experience as [he] interacts with members, protégés and our partners," stated Zack Lemelle, ITSMF Chairperson.

This comes on the heels of the ITSMF Awards Gala, March 2009 in Irving, TX, which attracted approximately 500 corporate, government and association executives and guests. There, Dr. Randal Pinkett brought a keynote address entitled 'Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Game-Changing Strategies for IT Executives and Entrepreneurs.' Pinkett outlined the game-changing strategies IT executives and companies need to succeed in IT today -- working across lines of difference; creating strategic partnerships between IT entities; and fostering mentoring relationships between IT corporations and minority IT firms.

Pinkett was honored with a Beacon Award for his extraordinary contributions to the advancement of information technology while demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing diversity.

Upon welcoming him as a new member, ITSMF commended Pinkett for his commitment to join them in "filling the executive pipeline for the next generation of IT professionals."

Video: 2005 National BDPA Technology Conference

2009-07-11T16:45:00.000-04:00

Tickets Available for BDPA/BETF Benefit Concert Featuring Jennifer Holliday

2009-07-11T10:30:00.001-04:00

BETF and BDPA Triangle chapter present a benefit concert of comedy and soul music on Friday, August 7, 2009 in Raleigh NC. Profits from this concert will go to support SITES Endowment Fund and BDPA programs in the Raleigh/Durham area.

View the sneak preview of our Evening of Laughter & Soul Show.

Broadband Stimulus - Notice of Funds Availability

2009-07-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

As expected, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released its Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the first round of grants under the Broadband portion of the Stimulus Act. The grant application should be available this week on the BroadbandUSA web site. Grant applications will be accepted from July 14th to August 14th.

Click here for 5-page highlights of the 121 page NOFA document!

Grant Recipient: BDPA Bay Area ($1,350)

2009-07-10T16:00:00.005-04:00

BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce funding approval for BDPA Bay Area chapter in the amount of $1,350.

BDPA Bay Area chapter president Patricia Glover plans to use the funding to purchase text books ('Design Fundamentals for New Media') for a web development training course being co-sponsored by DeVry University.

Did you know that this is the 10th BDPA chapter to receive financial support from BETF so far this year? The total financial support from BETF to BDPA chapters is now over $161,289 so far in this calendar year. We can do more if we can convince you to make a secure online donation today.

What say u?

Charities: Tough Times Call for Smarter Giving

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

When wallets get lean, checkbooks tend to stay closed -- and checks to charity become rarer.

Amid the recession and stock-market losses, philanthropy consultants say all donors are re-evaluating their giving. Those who would normally give new charities a chance are sticking with groups they know. Some are giving smaller gifts or none at all. Over the past year, a number of corporations have ended or trimmed their matching-gift programs.

Read the full article by Jonnelle Marte.

Business Compute-N-Show: Marketing and Networking for Career Advancement

2009-07-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

Susan Caldwell, Sr. Vice President of Client Services for Digerati Search, Inc., is interviewed on the Business Compute-N-Show by host Nancy Ford in Memphis, TN. This show originally aired in November 2008.

What tips from this video did you find the most useful?

Employment Resources for BDPA Members

2009-07-09T01:30:00.000-04:00

The national Black unemployment rate continues to rise. The economic crisis in America hit hard for many African Americans in the information technology (IT) industry over the past few years. Many are worried about being laid off. I thought it would be worthwhile to provide some insights on ways that BDPA can help those members that are unemployed or under-employed.

BDPA Talent Management System - This is the primary source of employment opportunities for BDPA members and supporters. BDPA corporate sponsors post IT career opportunities on a regular basis. There are currently over 480 postings. You should ensure that your current resume is posted in this system as these same sponsors often mine the resume database for private one-on-one interviews.

Online Executive Auction - We have 23 executives who are donating their time to meet one-on-one to discuss career and business options with you. Don't procrastinate as this auction closes on Friday, August 7th.

BDPA-Jobs YahooGroup - This online community is open to any employer that wants to post IT job opportunities or contracts and anyone (particularly BDPA members) may retrieve and apply for employment. Currently, there are over 1900 subscribers. Last month there were over 200 IT-based career postings.

BDPA Groupsite Career Center - There are over 1800 subscribers to our BDPA Groupsite. One of the most active discussion areas is the 'Career Center'

Career Coaches - Career coaching service is provided through a collaraborative effort between Blacks Gone Geek (Milt Haynes), and other career coaches such as Diversified Search Services (Tanya Hinton), and Fields of Success (Linwood Bailey)

Small Business Development Centers - Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. The services provided by SBDC are free and available in your city.

Please let me know if you have other resources that you think should be added to this list. Also, feel free to share your experience with any of these employment resources.

Grant Award: Walt Disney World

2009-07-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

We have had a strong relationship with Walt Disney World over the years. The 2002 National BDPA Technology Conference was held on Disney property. A number of Disney cast members served as officers of our BDPA Orlando chapter. One such member is Bessie Peoples who is a co-founder and past president of the chapter. Bessie submitted a volunteer Ears to You grant request through the Disney VoluntEARS program.

Walt Disney World informed us that Bessie selected the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) as recipient for this grant. The funds will be placed in BETF chapter fund restricted for use in Orlando-area programs and services.

Our friends at Disney wrote,

Dear Charity Recipient,
We are happy to inform you that Bessie Peoples has chosen BETF to be the recipient of a $1,000 EARS To You grant in recognition of volunteer service accomplished in 2008.

Volunteerism and commitment to community service are on important part of the Disney culture. Both through the Disney VoluntEARS program and on our own, our cast members selflessly give of their time to make our communities and the world is a better place.

Thank you, and continued good luck to you on your mission of community outreach and making the world a better, more compassionate place.

From your friends at Disney

I encourage all BDPA members ... especially those of you that serve on your chapter's board of directors ... to contact BETF about possible volunteer grant opportunities with your corporate employer.

Asante sana to Bessie Peoples for leveraging her volunteer commitment into financial support!

SITES Testimonial: Hung Vo (Atlanta)

2009-07-08T07:30:00.000-04:00

BDPA volunteers work with over 800 students every year in our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. BDPA Atlanta chapter has been focused on youth education programs for a number of years. One of the young people that took advantage of the SITES program in Atlanta is Hung Vo. Hung shared his thoughts on the training that he received in Atlanta:

Being a public school student with an interest in computer, Internet, and technology, there were not many opportunities for me to pursue that interest, if any. While a senior in high school, I heard from a teacher that BDPA high school computer competition (HSCC) is starting up again in Atlanta. From the BDPA flyer, I knew students trained in HTML, ASP, SQL, and other computer coding languages, which piqued my interest; however, I was hesitant to sign up, because I had joined a similar program, the year before which had turned out to be a bust. Even so, I felt I should not miss this good opportunity. Along with some friends, I decided to enroll in the program.

My first day at BDPA was very exciting. I had met many other students from different schools and districts. I had also met many of the passionate staffs of BDPA’s Atlanta chapter, including President Teresa, Instructor Maurice, and Coach Wes. I remembered how Coach Wes told us like 5000 times how his team had won the HSCC national time a record 4 years in a row. He let us know that winning the national was possible, but only if we worked hard. I knew from that day on that BDPA was the right program to be in ... a program where I could gain computer knowledge and discipline.

The time I spent at BDPA was very enjoyable. Even though Teresa was the president, she would go out of her way and provide us with delicious lunch every Saturday. From Maurice, I learned so much about creating website with HTML and using ASP and SQL to work with the server/client. Coach Wes worked with us on our presentation skills – public speaking, decorum, and the likes. They and along with the other BDPA’s leaders, made me, and I am sure the other students, feel like we were part of a family. That year, my teammates worked hard to win first place but came up a little short – winning 5th place in Atlanta.

Since then, I have graduated from high school and am attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in computer science. While in BDPA, I knew I was learning a lot, but I did not realize how much I gained from BDPA until now. Besides learning how to write code, which is useful for my computer science class, my experience while in BDPA has enhanced my work ethic, my speaking abilities, and my ability to work with others as a team. All the intangible skills that I have gained from BDPA have helped me to adapt successfully to college. In addition, I still receive email updates from BDPA. One of the BDPA’s leaders, Clarence, continues to send me information on available jobs and internships.

I recently gained Co-op employment thanks to using Coach Wes as my reference. Looking back, I had gained a lot from BDPA then, and the connections I have developed continue to help me in my current and future endeavors. The only bad thing about BDPA is that it was not here in Atlanta when I was a freshman in high school.

Some wonder why I'm regularly seeking donations for BETF. Young 'uns like Hung Vo are the reason. My hope is that you will make a personal decision to provide some type of financial support to our efforts. If not us ... Who?

2009 National BDPA Technology Conference (Raleigh)

2009-07-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

Do you have interest in the information technology (IT) industry? Do you have interest in the African American community? Do you want to see African Americans advance their careers in the IT industry?

If you answered 'YES' do any of those questions then you need to make plans to attend our National Conference next month in Raleigh NC! [NOTE: For any conference inquiries, please contact our Conference Coordinator, Pamela Sexton on 800.727-2372]

National BDPA President Denise Holland, National President-Elect Yvette Graham and their conference team have truly stepped up the quality of technical education, leadership training, networking opportunities, youth development and brand awareness in the planning and execution of the 2009 conference.

Don't take my word ... check out the 50+ page Journal Pre-Conference Highlights to get a taste of what's in store for you. What are you waiting for?

THEME: 'Challenges for Today; Strategies for Tomorrow'

I am looking forward to the 31st annual National BDPA Technology Conference in Raleigh NC on August 5-8, 2009. It should be a record-setting event for attendance by young people, entrepreneurs, IT professionals and corporations.

The workshops for IT professionals are outstanding. You will find workshop tracks dealing with professional development, project management, technology and leadership/management. Click here for the complete schedule.

BDPA will be one of the first organizations at the new Raleigh Conventio n Center. The 500,000-square-foot facility will welcome BDPA with a sparkling new backdrop for trade shows, conventions and conferences. Watch the live camera feed or take a virt ual tour of the new convention center.

Corporations are encouraged to contact BDPA Corporate Sales immediately to reserve their speaking opportunities and career fair booth placements.

Hotel Reservations - The special BDPA rate is available at the Raleigh Marriott City Center (500 Fayetteville Street; Raleigh, NC 27601; (919) 833-1120) *or* the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel 421 S. Salisbury Street; Raleigh, NC 27601; (919) 834-9900).
Conference Registration Rate: $550

You can contact BDPA Headquarters for more information on the 2009 conference by phone (800.727-2372) or email (conference@bdpa.org).

Are you planning to attend the 2009 National BDPA Technology Conference in Raleigh NC in August? Please share your thoughts on the 2009 conference in the COMMENTS section below!

BDPA Hall of Fame

2009-07-07T08:15:00.000-04:00

One of the beautiful things about owning your own blog is that you can create stuff. I often talk about people being in the so-called BDPA Hall of Fame. In fact, the very first BETF-blog post focused on a 'Hall of Fame' candidate.

It dawned on me that we could begin the process of creating our own BDPA Hall of Fame right here on this blog. The BDPA Hall of Fame will include an inaugural member -- a BDPAer whose presence in the hallowed halls is beyond debate.

Future additions to the BDPA Hall of Fame will come from you!

Once a month, we'll accept nominations from the comments section of this blog and our Twitter feed. We'll narrow the field to three candidates, write a post arguing the case for his or her inclusion and another against it. Then we'll put it to a vote. It's that simple.

There aren't any other rules at this point. I hope you will participate. You can begin right away. Who do you think should be elevated to the BDPA Hall of Fame?

Message from Philadelphia Chapter President

2009-07-06T16:45:00.000-04:00

Guest Blogger: Monique Berry

WOW! What a networking event we shared last month with a record crowd of over 500 attendees at Ms. Tootsies! Thank you very much for your support! I'd like to also extend a special thank you to Sulaiman Rahman, President and owner of UrbanPhilly.com, our partner for a spectacular event. Your participation and support is sincerely and greatly appreciated!!

I am honored to serve you as the Philadelphia chapter president; and my goal is to serve you and the BDPA organization well. Our vision is to be the premier information technology association for professionals worldwide. Our mission is to serve our members by providing services to advance careers in the information technology industry. In other words, we provide a bridge between students, professionals, industry and government providing a safe harbor to share ideas and develop new relationships for the benefit of our stakeholders.

To carry out our mission we must work together to set realistic goals and expectations, and perform to achieve those goals with a strong sense of commitment. As one of the largest chapters in the Nation, and as the national 'Chapter of the Year' two years running, our members and Executive Board have proven their allegiance to the vision and the mission. We have a strong foundation from which to build! With the success of our programs and contributions; made to further education in the areas of science and technology combined with our sponsor's continued support, new ideas, and a renewed interest it is now time to take our chapter to the next level.

One area of focus is to increase membership by obtaining speakers of interest and influence. I've also been pondering a Veterans Retraining Initiative to expand our services to reach out to wounded warriors in transition. In addition, we are expanding our programs for college students and Small Business, to mention a few. We've added fuel to the fire! Now is the time to jump in and charge ahead for success. Please open your minds and your hearts to inspire your imaginations! Share with us your thoughts and ideas, and seriously consider joining one of the committees. You will find it a fun and beneficial experience. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!

Monique Berry, president
BDPA Philadelphia Chapter

Grant Recipient: BDPA Middle Tennessee ($4,600)

2009-07-06T04:45:00.002-04:00

BETF approved a $4,600 grant payment to BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter earlier this week.

The funds will be used in support of the chapter's youth education program in Nashville TN. The chapter is training 25 students in a 3-track course curriculum designed as building blocks to provide a general introduction to computers and web design, then a more-in-depth training for qualified students in web programming. Finally, the students will participate in the Southeast Regional Competition to determine the top 5 that will represent the city at the national high school computer competition.

BETF provided over $159,939 in grant funding to local BDPA chapters so far in CY-2009. Is your chapter working with BETF to increase your fundraising revenue?