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'Global strategy for the IT professional" is the theme of the twenty-ninth annual conference of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), the national organization that works to advance the careers of African American IT pros.
This year's conference takes place August 15 to 18 in Washington, DC, hosted by BDPA's DC chapter. The conference team hopes to see all fifty-five current BDPA chapters represented at the event. One of the newest, the Northern Virginia chapter, has been active in conference planning.
Reflecting the environment
"We chose the theme to reflect the environment we all live in now," says Dr Chiji Ohayia, conference director. Ohayia is CEO of SmartSolutions Enterprise, LLC (Flagtown, NJ), a consulting and training organization.
Global teams and outsourcing increasingly challenge IT professionals, he explains. "We want our members to be aware of the challenges. We want them thinking globally, acting globally, in the loop."
Anita Vega, national VP of strategy and planning for BDPA and CEO of Onyx Computer Concepts Inc, notes that many of the conference workshops focus on IT technologies and career strategies for growth in a global environment. "Some fields are being outsourced, so we all have to move with it. You need to build the skills that are less likely to be exported, like project management. You may need to help take your organization global, or be ready to locate wherever IT services are going, or even become an entrepreneur yourself," she advises.
HSCC and beyond
BDPA puts significant effort and energy into coaching the IT pros of tomorrow. Gina Billings, national BDPA president and a corporate IT pro, notes that the group supports African American IT involvement "from the classroom to the boardroom." BDPA's year-round Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program is directed at young people from the early grades through college.
Each year BDPA chapter members across the U.S. spend hundreds of hours tutoring kids in programming and Web development. They're preparing for the ever-popular High School Computer Competition (HSSC), now in its twenty-fourth year. This year, twenty-five chapters will bring student teams to the conference. "That's close to a record," Vega notes.
There's also the Youth Technology Camp (YTC), in its tenth year now. YTC is an intensive program of workshops culminating in a visit to an IT facility where the kids can "touch and feel" large-scale IT systems in action, Vega says.
Workshops for professionals
Conference workshops focus on a range of professional development topics like project management, certification exams, leadership development and technical presentations. Several sessions address entrepreneurship: starting out, selling your services, teaming with others.
Another workshop track helps participants hone their skills in the latest technologies like identity management, security, Web-based apps and the challenges of mobile devices. There's even a workshop on Microsoft Vista.
ITSMF
Then there's the IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), with membership at the director level and above. Many ITSMF members are also active BDPA members, Billings notes.
Founded in 1996, the ITSMF is a networking organization for upper-level black IT execs. It holds a meeting during the conference, will conduct several workshops, and is hosting a reception to promote its executive protégé program.
The big career fair and more
More than sixty companies are expected to send recruiters to the two-day career fair that ends the conference. There will be a Town Hall meeting just before the fair opens, featuring a discussion of African American representation in corporate IT departments.
Chapters and their leaders are recognized at the gala closing dinner, and BDPA's list of best companies for blacks in technology will be announced at an evening reception.
Besides all this, there's the popular BDPA golf classic at the Westfield Golf Club (Clifton, VA). It's a great networking opportunity and a worthy fundraiser for BDPA's many programs.
Thanking the sponsors
Corporate sponsors are essential to the organization's success, Billings says. "Our two platinum sponsors, HP and Allstate, have signed on again," she notes with pleasure. At the gold level are Wachovia, Microsoft and Deloitte.
Planning VP Vega expects to see 800 adult members at the conference. Counting students and corporate reps, some 1,200 folks will be there. "We're looking for a big turnout this year because there are so many chapters on the East Coast," Vega says.
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