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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

Dr. Juan Gilbert receives medal from President Biden

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®

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

BDPACON East '23

BDPACON™ Regional coding, tech, and career summits return to Baltimore

BDPACON™ East ’23:
Northeast Regional APBI, Technology, and Innovation Summit • June 17, 2023

BALTIMORE, MDEast ’23 was filled with insightful discussions, engaging activities, and networking opportunities. A variety of sessions and fireside chats covered topics such as industrial control systems, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (Ai). This year’s speakers are leaders in their fields and remain excited to share their knowledge with tomorrow’s workforce.

(Left) Indigo Emanuel, Vantage Systems, Inc., is a BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) alumna and 2019 National HSCC Championship team’s Co-Captain. During East ’23, Ms. Emanuel shares her experiences as an HSCC coder, an intern, the career development process, and how BDPA’s student memberships and youth programs helped prepare her.

bdpatoday® photo ©2023

Black Tech Week 2023 Convenes in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OH—Black Tech Week 2023 (BTW23) featured Issa Rae—writer, producer, entrepreneur and founder of HOORAE—during BTW23 to share her energy, experiences and insights. Best known for her groundbreaking work as the creator and star of the hit HBO series “Insecure,” Issa Rae is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry with a commitment to supporting and amplifying Black and female voices in the space. Ms. Rae was this 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

For Earth Day, BDPA Coding and Robotics Teams visit oLabs™ in Northern Virginia, Octo’s Innovation Center

CyberEarth23™: 2023 Annual Earth Day Tech Summit • April 22, 2023

RESTON, VA—(Left) Vanessa Davis, Octo’s Senior Manager for Corporate CSR, launches the “Design our Future” challenge using Kahoot! during CyberEarth23™, BDPA’s annual Earth Day Tech Summit. Search bdpatoday.com for “Octo” to discover related mission-partner stories.

bdpatoday® photo ©2023

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

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Featured Publications, Articles, and Special Editions

Data Science Opportunities
Technical Careers at Northwestern Mutual
BDPACON22 HBCUs
(Above) Student Members from BDPA’s Houston, Texas and Prairie View A & M University (PVAMU) Chapters capture new awards and scholarships during BDPACON22 in Atlanta, GA. View their full story.

BDPACON™ 2023 returns to Atlanta

AUGUST 17-19, 2023 • ATLANTA

Participation During Annual BDPACONs Increases Professional Development, Sustainment, and Start-Up Opportunities with Tech Talent Pipelines in the same venue

Social Media keywords on LinkedIn + Twitter:
BDPA BDPACON HBCU STTR technology

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