This Week in BDPA (February 2-8, 2014)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar:

• Feb 2:  BDPA Orlando - Anniversary, '12th Anniversary of BDPA Orlando Chapter'
• Feb 4: BDPA South Region - Conference Call, 'What Does It Take to Produce a Winning Chapter-of-the-Year Document?'
• Feb 6: BDPA Washington DC - Networking, 'SiriusXM Black History Month Celebration'
• Feb 8: BDPA Indianapolis - Computer Camp, 'Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) Program'
• Feb 8: BDPA Dallas - Computer Camp, 'Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) Program'
• Feb 8: BDPA Northeast Region - Meeting, '1Q-2014 Regional Meeting'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

Related articles

• Newsletter: BDPA Washington DC (January 2014)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas Renews BDPA Gold Level Sponsorship
• BDPA Welcomes State Farm as Gold Level Corporate Sponsor

Eileen Gadsden Accepts Nomination for Office of BDPA Northeast Regional Vice President

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden is a hard-working woman! She owns her own strategic branding company, E-Region Enterprises. Gadsden still wants to do more. She accepted the nomination for BDPA Northeast Region Vice President which would place her on the National BDPA Board of Directors in 2014-2015.

Prior to serving as a local chapter president, Gadsden served BDPA Philadelphia for three years as vice president of strategy and planning. She also served as the national co-chairperson of the BDPA Entrepreneurial Advisory Group.

Gadsden's plan is to assist the local chapters in the BDPA Northeast region - Baltimore, Boston Metrowest, Hartford, New Jersey, New York, Northern Delaware, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and Washington DC - reach their strategic goals by increasing membership, corporate support and community engagement.

"It has been a great honor to work in Philadelphia as an educator an influencer in the information technology space. I am looking forward to the next challenge of bringing the BDPA vision to reduce the digital divide both at the academic and professional level throughout the northeast region of our nation." said Eileen Gadsden.

Eileen holds a MBA from Penn State University and a BS from St. Joseph's University. She was honorably discharged after serving 12 years in the United States Army Reserves. Earlier this year Ms. Gadsden was recognized as one of the most influential Philadelphia women by the NAACP Philadelphia Branch for her work with BDPA. Her passion for the chapter's youth technology program was documented in a documentary published by CBS Philly called, 'Brotherly Love: Teaching Tech High School Kids'.

The election results will be announced at the 35th annual National BDPA Technology Conference taking place August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC.

BDPA Regional Technology Summit at Bowie State University (June 15, 2013)

BDPA Washington DC hosts its Annual Regional Technology Summit, Open House, High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and IT Showcase (ITSC) at Bowie State University on Father's Day Weekend, Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 8:30am to 3:30pm in the computer science building on the campus of Bowie State University. The Technology Summit is co-sponsored by Best Buy, Bowie State University, CSC, FireEye, Hewlett Packard, and the United States Navy.

RADM Will Metts

Rear Admiral Will Metts (National Security Agency) will deliver the keynote address. The theme for the regional summit is 'Career Opportunities and Disruptive Technologies'.

There are no registration fees this year at the Regional Technology Summit.  There will be special announcements and door prizes from BDPA Washington DC via Google, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, and Oracle. Interested BDPA Chapters should bring at least two HSCC participants and one IT Showcase participant in order to help our students fully embrace and leverage key practice rounds, HSCC strategies, or ITSC tactics needed to win scholarships during National competitions held later this year.

Pre-Register online at http://2013ncrbdpa.eventbrite.com/. Space is limited. Parking on campus is free.

For more information, please contact: Dr. Jesse Bemley (IT Showcase Coordinator, 202.468-1497), Lou Shack (HSCC Coordinator, 301.379-2014), Sharrarne Morton (Communications Committee Chair, 240.463-6915), Dr. Daryl Stone (Education & Technology Coordinator, 301.860-3973) or Perry Carter (BDPA Washington DC chapter president, 703.627-8257.

Who Am I? Lilla Hunter-Taylor (BDPA Washington DC)

BDPA and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation strive to make a difference in both the Black community. We have some serious people who volunteer to implement programs that will advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. We don't always get a chance to know our BDPA leaders in a personal way. This blog decided to try and provide you with a different perspective ... a different look ... at our BDPA leaders.

Lilla Hunter-Taylor

National BDPA elections are being held during the 2013 National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington DC. One of the offices being contested is the BDPA Northeast region director vacancy. Lilla Hunter-Taylor is a member of our BDPA Washington DC chapter who accepted the nomination for the regional director post. Lilla currently works as the Director of Business Development with Compass Solutions. Before joining the Compass team she was the chief executive officer of The Staff Hunter located in Bethesda, MD.

Prior to establishing The Staff Hunter, Lilla ran a successful insurance brokerage firm for over eight years. Her knowledge of working with small to mid-size companies and individuals prepared her for working with companies and candidates in the staffing industry, she currently serves as the Vice Chairperson of the MD/DC Minority Supplier Diversity Council.

Hunter-Taylor is very active with Dress for Success of Washington, DC and conducts seminars to help women become successful in their future careers. Mrs. Taylor participates every year in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure in Washington, DC. Hunter-Taylor received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bowie State University.

Our blog wanted to know more about Lilla ... so we asked her to provide insights into her soul as she answered our basic question:

Who Am I?

IF I WERE A...

• ANIMAL, I would be... a Puppy, dependable, loves you unconditionally
• CAR, I would be... a Camry, great-looking (not to sound vain ... LOL), performs well, affordable and non-pretentious
• CITY/TOWN, I would be... New York (my birth place), everyone visits, loves it and the one place you feel like a star no matter what profession you're in
• COLOR, I would be... Yellow, it exudes happiness
• FLOWER, I would be... African Violet, beautiful color, beautiful history, beautiful continent
• FOOD, I would be... Pizza, do I need to explain?  Everyone loves it!
• ITEM OF CLOTHING, I would be... Winter coat, very warm and dependable
• MONTH, I would be... September, the leaf changes are beautiful, the weather is not too hot or too cold, it's Fashion Season, heading towards the holidays
• MOVIE, I would be... Science Fiction or Fantasy, great escape that makes you think
• SONG, I would be... Mid-tempo, not too fast or too slow, just right with a little groove
• SPORT, I would be... Football, it starts beautiful in the fall, everyone seems to have a great time together watching it, and great snacks during the game
• SUPER-POWER, I would be... War Stopping Power.  Because war is good for absolutely nothing (couldn't resist)
• TIME OF DAY, I would be... between 5 and 6 AM, the best thoughts are in the morning and they haven't been taken yet

Lilla Hunter-Taylor may be on the verge of creating her own powerful legacy within BDPA ... and it has been our sincere pleasure to introduce her to BDPA-Nation.  You can follow Lilla on twitter: @TheStaffHunter.

Our hope is that Lilla will join us here on the blog to share deeper insights into these things via the COMMENTS feature! What did you learn about our candidate for regional director via this blog post that you may never have known otherwise?

Coram Rimes Steps Down as BDPA Regional Director

I've always referred to Coram Rimes as one of the hardest working members in BDPA. It saddened me to know that he was stepping down as the BDPA Northeast Region director. Coram built a remarkable legacy in BDPA over the course of the past 18 years. He has been a member of the BDPA New Jersey chapter for most of its existence ... serving in a variety of chapter leadership roles including two terms (2003-2004 and 2008-2011) as its president. Coram received the highest award that BDPA gives out to individuals -- the Epsilon Award -- in 2007 for his outstanding community service. He was elected as the first-ever regional director in the nation's history in 2011.

Coram personally supported me in both BDPA and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). I've been a keynote speaker at his invitation for a chapter banquet as well as a guest speaker at one of his chapter's program meetings. Coram has been making regular donations in support of BDPA programs, scholarships and services over the years. In fact, he leveraged his own personal donations with a 100% matching gift through an employee-giving program offered by his employer, Prudential.

Coram is one of the few BDPAers in history to be elected to public political office ... serving as both a city councilman and housing authority commissioner for his community. In addition to his IT career with Prudential, Coram uses his entrepreneurial skills every year for a growing tax service business.

Coram's active leadership will be missed by BDPA on a local, regional and national level. But, our loss is somewhat tempered by the fact that he is a lifetime member of the organization that he loves.

I am sure that the entire BDPA nation wishes him the best in his retirement from the regional post and in his new adventures. We hope he will still find time to visit BDPA at local chapter events and the occasional national conference over the coming years!

Sincerely,
R. Wayne Hicks, executive director
BDPA Education and Technology Foundation