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BDPA’s thirty-first national
conference comes to Raleigh
Attendee enthusiasm was high despite tough times. New this year: a gaming expo to attract smart kids
By Annie Riecken
News & Production Editor
 The thirty-first national conference of BDPA ran from August 5 to 8 at the brand- new convention center in Raleigh, NC. As always, the event brought together African American IT pros from all parts of the country to network, talk shop and perhaps find new jobs.
BDPA helps advance African American IT pros “from the classroom to the board room” and the events are full of friendly discussion, warm greetings and the free exchange
of business cards. BDPA members may work at fiercely competing companies, but this conference is all about mutual support and professional growth.
Five tracks
Conference workshops were organized into five tracks: professional development, project management, technology, IT entrepreneurship and leadership/management. Topics ranged from IT professional certifications, security threats and prevention, and best practices for IT intern programs, to the use of social media to advance careers.
“ITSMF changed my life”
 The Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) holds one of its quarterly meetings in conjunction with the BDPA conference. ITSMF, affectionately known as “It’s My Family” to members, provides coaching to help high-level black IT pros
rise farther in their companies. “ITSMF changed my life,” says protégée program graduate Robert Gavin, a delivery manager
at EDS.
Successful graduates of the program often go on to be mentors themselves.
Kids, contests and presentations
For the pre-college set, the popular High School Computer Competition (HSCC) provides a chance to acquire programming skills during the school year and apply them at the conference. HSCC teams make presentations before a panel of industry judges, then spend a very long day solving a real-life programming problem. “It’s a terrific chance for the students to practice real-world skills like teamwork, coping under pressure and making presentations,” says HSCC judge Trudy McKnight of EDS.
 Highly motivated high school and college students had another opportunity to shine at the IT Showcase: poster presentations covering advanced computing topics.
New gaming expo
This year the conference added a
kid-oriented gaming, robotics and innovation expo. Open to the public, the expo gave young people a chance to use innovative new technologies for learning, building and communicating, and a chance to network with IT pros eager to light the STEM spark in visiting kids.
Supporters and chapters
At the BDPA dignitaries’ reception on Friday evening, the crowd heard from Dr Donald French, BDPA’s new executive director. “BDPA is about children, the future and making things different,” he declares.
At the reception eleven companies were recognized as “best companies for blacks in technology.” GE Healthcare CIO Susan Gordon Barker addressed the crowd, saying, “It’s so gratifying to look out at the room and see so many people who look just like me.” Epsilon awards head Milt Haynes announced that silver sponsor WellPoint is so pleased with its involvement in BDPA that next year it plans to move up to platinum sponsor status.
 Saturday evening brought the gala awards dinner. The U.S. Navy color guard opened the ceremonies with a patriotic flourish. This year’s event was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson IT and hosted by Mario Armstrong, National Public Radio technical correspondent. “You need to think patents and Nobel prizes,” Armstrong said.
The Epsilon award for top company for blacks in technology was presented to Eli Lilly. American Airlines, Compuware, State Farm and other firms were also honored.
The Philadelphia BDPA chapter, led by new BDPA president-elect Monique Berry, was named chapter of the year for the third consecutive year. The southern Minnesota team won the HSCC competition for the third year in a row, followed by the Detroit and Washington, DC teams.
 B. J. Penn, assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy and lifetime BDPA member, received a lifetime achievement award. He presented a scholarship to Raven Stevenson, who will attend Duke University as a member of the class of 2013.
Wayne Hicks, director of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation, announced the launch of a five-year plan to build a five-million-dollar scholarship program endowment. Oracle kicked off the campaign as Traci Wade, the company’s senior diversity consultant, announced a corporate contribution of $50,000.
Dr French, the new exec director, rated the conference a success. “We brought the convention here to Raleigh to get the local high-tech firms more involved with BDPA; to let them get to know our people and hire them.”
D/C
Annie Riecken is a full-time member of D/C’s editorial staff.
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