Atlanta To Host BDPACON ’24
BDPA Atlanta (BATF):
BDPA Atlanta Technology Foundation
March 31, 2024 | Duluth, GA
ATLANTA (bdpatoday) —Pre-registration opened last quarter for BDPACON ’24. BDPACON is the annual meeting of BDPA, local BDPA Chapter executives, and local community leaders with the Association’s sponsors, mission-partners, Academia, Public Sector agencies, and Industry stakeholders.
BDPACON ’24 convenes July 31st through August 3rd, 2024 at the WESTIN Peachtree Plaza Atlanta. BDPACON’s theme for 2024 is: Big Data & Predictive Analytics (B.D.P.A.) — Forged by the Power of Ai
This year’s theme has significant artificial intelligence (Ai) overtones to help attendees curate imminent challenges while preparing for increasing opportunities presented by industry. BDPACON ’24 features presentations and panels with interactive working groups for BDPA Members, BDPACON attendees, and the public. Confirmed Keynotes from Government and Industry for BDPACON ’24 include:
• Dwight Deneal, NASA’s Director, Office of Small Business Programs
• Dr. Ogo Ekwueme, Founder, Health LeadHer and BDPA IT Showcase Alumna
• Dr. Stephanie Parson, ITSMF founding Member, Crowned Grace International CEO.
→ Select here to Pre-Register.
— View some of the people who attend BDPACON and discover more in your latest edition of bdpatoday®
Women’s History Month and
The BDPA LegacyTM
National BDPA Headquarters
March 1, 2024 | Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON (bdpatoday) — Founded in 1975 as Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) in Philadelphia by the late Earl A. Pace, Jr. and David Wimberly, BDPA™ was created to bring underrepresented minorities together who were working in the information technology and computer science fields for the purpose of professional development and academic enrichment.
The Association rebranded to BDPA™ near the turn of the century and continues to provide videos, trailers, creatives, books, publications, and archived content to its members and the general public. A new documentary trailer is available on Popular Technology TV™ featuring excerpts from The BDPA Legacy™.
(Clockwise from top left) Stephanie [Lampkin] Van Putten, BDPA HSCC Alumna; Ensign Raven Stevenson, U.S. Navy, BDPA HSCC Alumna; Admiral Michelle J. Howard, U.S. Navy (Retired), IBM Board Member; Margaret Wood, Founder and CEO of WOOD Consulting; Deena Pierott, Founder and Chief Innovator of iUrbanTeen; Kimberly Bryant, Founder, Black Girls Code; Major General Lorna Mahlock, U.S. Marine Corps, Commander, Cyber National Mission Force; and Captain Cunningham, U.S. Coast Guard, CGCYBERCOM. — Discover more in your March 2024 edition of bdpatoday®
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Black History Month and
The BDPA LegacyTM
National BDPA Headquarters
February 1, 2024 | Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON (bdpatoday) — Founded in 1975 as Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) in Philadelphia by the late Earl A. Pace, Jr. and David Wimberly, BDPA™ was created to bring underrepresented minorities together who were working in the information technology and computer science fields for the purpose of professional development and academic enrichment.
The Association rebranded to BDPA™ near the turn of the century and continues to provide videos, trailers, creatives, books, publications, and archived content to its members and the general public. A new documentary trailer is available on Popular Technology TV™ featuring excerpts from The BDPA Legacy™.
(Clockwise from top left) The late Earl A. Pace, Jr., BDPA Co-Founder and 2011 I.T. Hall of Fame inductee; Emmit J. McHenry, Dot-Com Pioneer and Co-Founder of Network Solutions, LLC, the “Original Domain Registrar”; Admiral Michelle J. Howard, U.S. Navy and 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations; David Stewart, Chairman and Founder, World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) and billionaire; Dr. Jesse Bemley, Founder of Joint Educational Facilties (JEF), BDPA’s renowned national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program, and JEF’s IT Showcase with BDPA; Ensign Raven Stevenson, U.S. Navy and BDPA HSCC Alumna; Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-Founder, Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, and John Thompson, former Symantic CEO and BDPACON™ 2001 Keynote Speaker; Ursula M. Burns, former Xerox CEO and Xerox Intern—”from the classroom to the boardroom”; and a copy of BDPA’s iconic front cover of bdpatoday® featuring the Obama Family during his election night victory rally on November 4, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois. — Discover more in your Febrary 2024 edition of bdpatoday®
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At BEYA, JROTC’s STEM and Cyber Engagements Unfold
BDPA Baltimore
Baltimore Convention Center
February 16, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG) is an industry-leading media company that supports organizations in promoting multiculturalism and diversity in STEM fields. For over three decades, CCG and the National Naval Officers Association (nnoa.org) have been staunch supporters of systems and software engineering pipeline programs with BDPA™, NSBE, NSBEjr, JROTC, and several other grassroots talent acquisition programs.
This year, tomorrow’s STEM “Playmakers” and future data scientists from Suitland High School’s Navy JROTC (NJROTC) Unit in Maryland, attended the annual Stars & Stripes Dinner with Service Chiefs, Flag and General Officers, members of the Senior Executive Service, Senior Enlisted Leaders, and Industry executives during the 38th annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA.org).
The NJROTC program was established by Public Law in 1964 which may be found in Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 102. The program is conducted at accredited secondary schools throughout the nation, and taught by instructors who are retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel. The NJROTC accredited curriculum emphasizes citizenship and leadership development, as well as our nation’s maritime heritage, the significance of sea power, and naval topics such as the fundamentals of naval operations, seamanship, navigation and meteorology.
Classroom instruction is augmented throughout the year by extra-curricular activities of community service, academic, athletic, drill and orienteering competitions, field meets, flights, visits to naval or other activities, marksmanship sports training, and physical fitness training. Electronic classroom equipment, textbooks, uniforms, educational training aids, travel allowance, and a cost-share of instructors’ salaries are provided by the Department of Navy.
(L-R) Perry Carter, National President, BDPA™ (bdpa.org) with Brigadier General Omar Randall, USMC; Deputy Commander Marine Forces Reserve; NJROTC Cadet Commander; and Commander Robert Clements, USN (Retired), Senior Naval Science Instructor at Suitland High School, Maryland. BDPA and regional BDPA Chapters participated in #BEYA2024, community outreach, and talent acquisition support activities.
— photo ©2024 bdpatoday®
BDPA NoVa Co-Hosts SITES Season Opener for National Capital Region’s Youth Technology Programs
BDPA Northern Virginia (BDPA NoVa):
Lorton Community Center
January 27, 2024 | Lorton, VA
WASHINGTON—National BDPA’s local chapters from Washington, D.C. (BDPA-DC) and Northern Virginia (BDPA NoVa) launched their 38th annual youth technology, coding, and application development season at the Lorton Community Center in Lorton, VA. The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program falls under BDPA’s STEM+ pillar. This program was created to expose young men and women to the concepts of computers, data science, and graphics design while providing application development expertise.
The annual kick-off and info session was preceeded by warm welcome remarks from each chapter and BDPA’s National President, Perry Carter. Mr. Carter emphasized the importance of team work, research, and collaboration as students enter and prepare to embrace very exciting technical career opportunities.
(Left) Kayla Quarles, a senior Cloud Computing major at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD), joins a team of distinguished BDPA SITES and HBCU alumni, who continue to train, coach, and mentor regional high school computer competition (HSCC) students. Mr. Lou Shack (right) is the SITES Program Director for BDPA-DC.
Photo ©2024 bdpatoday®
BDPA NoVa and BDPA-DC Receive new Tablet PCs for Regional Youth Programs
Samsung Executive Briefing Center
November 30, 2023 | Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON (bdpatoday) — National BDPA’s Chapter program leaders for Washington, D.C. (BDPA-DC) and Northern Virginia (BDPA NoVa) receive new Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 tablet PCs in direct support of BDPA’s regional Student I.T. Education and Scholarship (SITES) program. The Association’s SITES portfolio provides mobile app development, I.T. Showcase, and youth SecDevOps programs for regional and national coding competitions. View related stories at bdpatoday.com.
(Right) (L-R) Louis Shack, SITES Program Director, BDPA-DC; Terry Wilson-Brox, President, BDPA NoVa, and BDPA-DC 2023 Member of the Year; and Norman Mays, Founder, BDPA-DC and co-author of The BDPA Story. Trophies and plaques were presented during 45th-anniversary technology awards events hosted by Samsung Electronics on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. New tablet PCs are provided by sponsors and mission partners through the chapter’s Tablets For Teens™ program.
Photo ©2023 bdpatoday®
OCTO, an IBM Company, named BDPA-DC’s 2023 Sponsor of the Year
OCTO, an IBM Company:
The H.O.P.E. Project D.C. conducts annual I.T. Career Summits for local communities with H.O.P.E. Project alumni and students, BDPA Members and alumni, and tech industry mission partners such as Octo, an IBM Company • November 30, 2023
WASHINGTON— Octo, an IBM Company, was named BDPA-DC’s 2023 Sponsor of the Year. In April 2023, Octo hosted CyberEarth ’23, the Chapter’s annual Earth Day Tech Summit during Earth Day Weekend and sponsored the annual I.T. Career Summit 2.0 on April 1, 2023. Octo’s contributions throughout the year, which included mentorship and talent acquisition support, continue to be invaluable.
(Left) Cindy Walker, who leads Octo’s Data Center of Excellence, is responsible for data and analytics innovations and solutions to enhance Octo’s clients’ mission outcomes. During an I.T. Career Summit 2.0 info-session, Ms. Walker is discussing new trends, challenges, and opportunities with HOPE Project DC and BDPA SITES alumni who own at least 5-years of industry experience .
Photo ©2023 bdpatoday®
Lifetime BDPA Member, Dr. Juan E. Gilbert, receives National Medal of Technology and Innovation
The White House
October 24, 2023 | Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON—President Biden awards the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to a number of Americans who have made exemplary achievements in science, technology, and innovation to strengthen our nation’s well-being. View full story.
(Right) Lifetime BDPA Member, Dr. Juan E. Gilbert, receives National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Biden.
White House photo
Small Businesses meet Congressional Representatives with Prime Contractors and Agency Purchasing Executives during CBCF’s 52nd ALC
CBCF 52nd ALC 2023:
Meet and Match Minority Suppliers: Doing Business with Industry’s Public and Private Sectors • September 21, 2023
WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 52nd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) included several STEM and “Ai” policy events with several of National BDPA’s mission industry partners. This year’s Meet and Match was an extraordinary event giving small minority, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran owned, HUB Zone, and women owned businesses opportunities to market their capabilities directly to the federal government and private sector companies such as AWS, Deloitte, Leidos, the Department of Army, the Department of Navy, Health and Human Services (HHS and NIH), Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and others.
(Left) Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee visits federal suppliers and agency representatives during CBCF’s 52nd ALC Meet and Match event for Minority Suppliers. Proudly serving the 18h District of Texas, Representative Jackson Lee is the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip for the U.S. House of Representatives. She sits on three Congressional Committees — as a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and the crucial Budget Committee. She was appointed the first female Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, which she now chairs.
Photo ©2023 bdpatoday®
eSports Tournaments and Gamification Highlight Youth Engagements at BDPACON23
BDPACON™ 2023:
45th Annual BDPA Technology & Career Expo • 20th Anniversary I.T. Showcase
August 17-19, 2023 | Atlanta, Georgia
ATLANTA, GA—During this year’s BDPACON, the inaugural national esports tournament and tech exposure expo was powered by State Farm, STEAMSport, Inc., and participating U.S. BDPA Chapters.
(Right) BDPA Student Members, sponsors, and attendees participated in STEM workshops, eSports elimination gameplay, and tech exposure expo during BDPACON23 in Atlanta, GA.
Photo ©2023 bdpatoday®
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LtGen. Vincent R. Stewart,
Former Deputy Commander,
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CEO RYAN Consulting Group; Founder, BDPA Indianapolis
BDPACON™ 2024 returns to Atlanta
JULY 31 through AUGUST 3, 2024 • ATLANTA
Participation During Annual BDPACONs Increases Professional Development, Sustainment, and Start-Up Opportunities with Tech Talent Pipelines in the same venue
HBCU Alumni, IT Showcase finalists, and BDPA Student members win technology awards or scholarships during annual or regional BDPACONs.
View last season’s recap of BDPACON23
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Atlanta to Host BDPACON ’24
ATLANTA—Pre-registration opened last quarter for BDPACON ’24. BDPACON is the annual meeting of BDPA, local BDPA Chapter executives, and local community leaders with the Association’s sponsors, mission-partners, Academia, Public Sector […]
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Uncrewed Lunar Lander Makes Historic Moon Landing with SpaceX and NASA
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (BDPA Houston) — On Thursday, February 15 at 1:05 a.m. ET, SpaceX launched the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission to lunar transfer orbit from Launch Complex 39A […]
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2024 Stars & Stripes at BEYA
BALTIMORE, MD (USBE Online)—The BEYA Annual Stars and Stripes Dinner was held on Friday, February 16th, in Baltimore, MD. The theme for the 2024 BEYA Stars and Stripes event is […]
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Industry Events
BDPA Chapters host Earth Day Tech Summits with Industry Mission-Partners
RESTON, VA —For Earth Day, D.C. area high school student coding competition (HSCC) and robotics teams visit oLabs™, Octo’s innovation center. oLabs™ is where cross-functional teams of engineers, academics, technologists, thought leaders, and domain experts rapidly prototype emerging technology solutions for the US Government’s intractable problems. CyberEarth™, BDPA’s annual Earth Day Tech Summits, have evolved to allow young IT professionals, or those interested in ICT career opportunities currently attending College, Community College, Vocational Technology, High School, JROTC, and GED programs, to establish new relationships, launch tech start-ups, and partner with Industry during tech and career expos
bdpatoday® photo ©2023
BDPA Members return to CES 2023 with emerging Tech Industries
ARLINGTON, VA — Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2023 will take place in Las Vegas on Jan. 5-8, 2023, with bdpatoday and PTTV staffers attending Media Days taking place Jan. 3-4, 2023. According to CTA, attendees will experience new technologies from global brands, hear about the future of technology from thought leaders and collaborate face-to-face with other attendees. This year’s show will highlight how innovations in sustainability, transportation and mobility, digital health, the metaverse and more are addressing the world’s greatest challenges. CES audiences and BDPA Members will hear from industry experts during live keynotes.
(Photo) Rodney Williams, LISNR Co-Founder and CEO, addresses the audience at CES 2018 during a CES Smart Cities panel. Mr. Williams is a Howard University Alumnus and BDPA Member. Photo credit LISNR
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BDPA Monroe to Host BDPACON™ South ’23 Regional Summer Tech Splash
BDPACON™ South ’23:
South Regional Summer Tech Splash • July 24, 2023
MONROE, LA—National BDPA’s Monroe Chapter (BDPA) is a non-profit organization (NPO) focused on nurturing and developing diverse working professionals and future IT leaders in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) and all digital technology fields. BDPA Monroe will host BDPA’s 2023 Southern Summer Camp, (BDPACON South ’23) from July 24-28, 2023, at the Emily P. Robinson Center, 3504 Jackson Street, Monroe, LA 71202. Registration is free.
In Louisiana, BDPA Monroe offers a unique opportunity to connect with others to share knowledge amongst a community of peers through various programs such as Youth STEM Programs, High School Programs, College Programs, Adult Digital Workforce Transformation Programs, and Leadership Development Programs.
(L-R) EJ Maxwell, President, BDPA Monroe, joins Ashley Doughty on Louisiana Living. EJ’s interview and her latest podcast with Monroe’s Chamber of Commerce can be viewed on one of bdpatoday’s playlists → PTTV.
Photo and video ©2023 KTVE Fox 14
Career Awareness Day in Philadelphia with BDPA
Career Day with local schools • April 19, 2023
PHILADELPHIA, PA—BDPA’s mission-partners support tomorrow’s digital workforce at community outreach events with classmates and shipmates. During Earth Week 2023, Regional BDPA members co-hosted events while visiting next generation innovators at Pennell Elementary School and other campus locations.
Supporters included alumni from Pennell, Wagner Middle School, Central High School, Girard College, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), UPenn NROTC, Penn State University, and Temple University.
Mission-partners included U.S. Air Force Cyber Command (AFCYBER), Amtrak, BDPA, bdpatoday, Community College of Philadelphia, Constellation Energy, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), The Fresh Grocer (of LaSalle), and Philadelphia Police Department (Special Operations).
bdpatoday® photo ©2023
Black Tech Week 2024 Convenes in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, OH—Black Tech Week (BTW24) returns to Cincinnati, Ohio July 16-18 2024 for another set of amazing workshops, panel discussions, investor matching, Tech Industry keynote speakers, and after hours activity featuring professional networking and development events. Black Tech Week 2023 (BTW23) featured Issa Rae—writer, producer, entrepreneur and founder of HOORAE—during BTW23 to share her energy, experiences and insights. Ms. Rae was last year’s Keynote Presenter during BTW23.
Black Tech Week is an annual event where thousands of people from different industries, backgrounds and experience levels gather together to learn from and network with other technology professionals. It was founded in 2013 by Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson in Miami, Florida. Black Tech Week has since been acquired by Lightship Foundation. Lightship Foundation serves underrepresented entrepreneurs and ecosystems. They leverage corporate partnerships, specialized programming, meaningful mentorship, and capital investments to drive growth within the minority innovation economy.
(L-R) Candice Matthews Brackeen, Founder and CEO of Lighthouse with American actress, writer, and producer, Issa Rae.
Photo ©2023 Lightship Foundation
