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BDPA stresses access at national conference
"The founders of BDPA wanted to provide African Americans with access to a community where they can grow in the field of technology." – Yvette Graham, National BDPA president
The ITSMF top-level mentoring group was there, and members participated in panels and workshops and provided insights from their positions as IT leaders in their companies
By Kate Colborn
Editor in Chief
 National Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) returned to its Philadelphia roots in late July for its thirty-second annual national conference. The society was founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1975, and had its first national conference in 1979 in Washington, DC. This is the sixth conference since then held in Philadelphia, the "city of brotherly love and sisterly affection," which also offers convenient access to eastern U.S. IT venues.
"Access for all" was the theme of this year's event. "The founders of BDPA wanted to provide African Americans access to a community where they can grow in the field of technology," says Yvette Graham, National BDPA president. "Access was and continues to be the direction of National BDPA for everyone, no matter how old or how young!"
Access to high-powered execs
One innovation at this year's event was the access provided to many high-powered execs who participated in panels designed to give attendees insight into the workings of their corporations. One popular theme was cybersecurity, with participation by the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Navy cyber command, and defense contractor BAE Systems. Other panels addressed hot IT skills in the corporate and military worlds; small business issues; and federal IT initiatives.
ITSMF was there
As always, the third quarter meeting of the IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), a top-level mentoring group for aspiring CIOs of color, was held in conjunction with the national BDPA conference. ITSMF members participated in panels and workshops and provided insights from their positions as IT leaders in their companies.
A reception early in the conference gave members a chance to network and share experiences. ITSMF kindly invited Diversity/ Careers editor Kate Colborn to join members at the event. The magazine has covered the growth and development of ITSMF from its early days.
Conference sponsors
It's sponsors, of course, that make an event like this possible. State Farm Insurance was a bronze conference sponsor, and also sponsored a luncheon and plenary session. The company has 5,700 internal IT employees, and Barb Wanthal, the company's AVP for systems, told attendees that diversity "is a state of mind" at State Farm.
Other top sponsors included Microsoft and Allstate Insurance at the Platinum level; Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, the Mayo Clinic, Oracle and Prudential at the Gold level; BlueCross BlueShield of IL, NM, OK and TX; Cisco Systems; Compuware; JPMorgan Chase; Merck & Co and WellPoint at the Silver level; and a Who's Who of corporate, military and other government organizations at the Bronze and Sponsor levels. Diversity/Careers was a media sponsor, as it has been for many years.
Awards and honors
There were plenty of organization and individual awards to give out. The Epsilon award program, started by BDPA stalwart and past president Milt Haynes several years ago, honors organizations and individuals who have contributed to the advancement of people of color in IT.
At the Friday evening dignitaries reception, the U.S. Navy was commended for granting tenure and promotions to IT professionals of color. State Farm's community outreach efforts, IBM's minority business programs, and career development programs at BlueCross and BlueShield of IL, NM, OK and TX were recognized as well.
This year's top corporate honor, "best company for blacks in technology," went to Eli Lilly. HP was named corporation of the year.
In addition to the many individual awards, national BDPA president Yvette Graham presented a special recognition to Judaea Yard Lane, president of the organization's New York City chapter, who acted as Graham's chief of staff to keep conference preparations on track in a challenging year.
Chapter honors
The thirty-five BDPA chapters are the heart of the organization, and each national conference honors high-performing chapters. The 2010 Chapter of the Year was Philadelphia, its fourth such honor. First runner-up was Cincinnati, and second runner-up was Northern Delaware, a chapter founded less than five years ago.
Cincinnati was recognized for its community service, Northern Delaware for chapter management, Southern Minnesota for membership, and Philadelphia for professional services.
The HSCC
Encouraging and developing the next generation of minority IT pros has been an essential part of BDPA's mission from its early days. The core activity in this area is the High School Computer Competition, conceived and designed by Dr Jesse Bemley. Teams of young people meet on weekends and after school. Coached by BDPA professionals they learn programming and advanced IT skills, and some go on to a series of regional competitions, with the top teams invited to attend the national conference for a final high-level contest.
This year twenty-two teams competed at the national conference. At a practice session before the finals, these top-ranked IT pros of the future were cheered on by their BDPA coaches and mentors. The top teams get prizes, but all participants who make it to the finals can be proud of their accomplishments.
At the final banquet, the winning teams accepted their prizes and many kudos. For the fifth year, top honors went to the Southern Minnesota chapter's team. Each team member collected scholarship money and a laptop computer from sponsor HP.
Other top teams included Washington, DC, second place; Chicago, IL, third place; Detroit, MI, fourth place; and St Louis, MO in fifth place.
IT showcase highlights talent
Dr Bemley also founded the more recent IT Showcase, which brings talented high school and early-college IT students to present individual projects for judging. This year seventeen students made live and poster presentations of IT-based projects in areas from business intelligence to virtual reality.
Admiral Roughead: importance of STEM
Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations (CNO), was the keynote gala speaker. Roughead has been CNO since 2007; he is the highest ranking officer in the United States Navy and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
As CNO, he's responsible for the utilization of resources and efficiency of the operating forces of the Navy. He has also been a long-time advocate of diversity in the Navy, and a passionate supporter of STEM careers. "STEM will only grow in importance to the nation," he declared in his remarks. STEM education, he noted, is an essential part of President Obama's national security strategy.
Roughead had just returned from a joint conference of the National Naval Officers Association and the Association of Naval Services Officers, networking groups for African American and Hispanic naval officers. He praised those groups, and the growing number of female officers in the Navy, for strengthening the service. He also reported that this year's entering class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD is the most diverse ever, at more than thirty-five percent. In comparison, twenty-five percent of the class of 2010 was minority or female.
At the end of his remarks, Admiral Roughead was presented with a lifetime achievement award from BDPA, in recognition of his staunch support of the organization and diversity in IT.
Next year's national BDPA conference takes place in Chicago August 3-6.
D/C
Kate Colborn
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