bdpatoday | coding

BDPA-DC Captures National Coding Title

ATLANTA, GA—The High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team from National BDPA’s Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter (BDPADC.org) captured this year’s national coding and app development title during BDPACon19, the Association’s annual coding combine, 41st National Technology Conference, and Tech Career Expo, hosted by National BDPA in Atlanta, Georgia.

This year, 12 teams advanced from their respective regions to compete nationally for scholarships and internships with National and local BDPA mission-partners and sponsors. For 2019, the top three teams (clockwise, L-R) are BDPA of Greater Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia), BDPA St. Louis (Missouri), and BDPA Southern Minnesota (Rochester, MN.) Click to enlarge photos.

Throughout the year, local BDPA chapters conduct Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) training programs for youth in their communities. These programs are designed to expose students to computing concepts, information technology, and provide them additional expertise to develop web or mobile applications. Some chapters participate in regional competitions throughout the country to further prepare their students.

In May, Bowie State University co-hosted this year’s Regional Innovation Summit and HSCC with BDPA-DC and Patriots Technology Training Center. Participating BDPA chapters are able to send one team of 3 to 5 students to the annual national technology conference (BDPACon) and coding combine to compete against teams from other BDPA Chapters from other regions.

The National BDPA’s High School Computer Competition (HSCC) was founded in 1986 by Dr. Jesse Bemley, of Washington, D.C. What started as a two-team event between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA has grown to over 20 teams of various high school students from chapters throughout the nation. It was designed to introduce youth to fields of Information Technology (IT), encourage them to seek technical certifications with higher levels of education, and groom many of them to become our next generation of IT professionals.

Corporate sponsors and mission-partners from the National Capital Region that helped paved the way toward this year’s national championship include AG Grace, Inc.; Assured Information Security, Inc. (AIS); Air Force Civilian Service (AFCS); Best Buy; Blacks In Cyber; Bowie State University; Connected2Tech, LLC.; D.C. Courts System; D.C. SBDC; Defender Academy; Eccalon, LLC; Enlightened, Inc.; Federal Government Experts, LLC; GDIT; H.O.P.E. Project DMV; Howard University; Inclusive Innovation Incubator (IN3); Joint Educational Facilities, Inc. (JEF); KPMG; The Microsoft Store; Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC); Morton Media; National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Oracle; Patriots Technology Training Centers; Premier Enterprise Solutions, Inc.; R&K Cyber Solutions; Samsung USA; SiriusXM Radio, Inc.; U.S. Air Force; U.S. Army; U.S. Coast Guard; Vergo Productions; Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ); WOOD Consulting Services, Inc. and select Department of Defense (DOD) agencies.

The Team has scheduled a special open house and press conference on Saturday, August 10, 2019, from 9:00 am to 12 noon at their Gallery Place training facility in Washington, D.C. Invitations may be requested via email: media@bdpadc.org or info@bdpadc.org.

For additional information, visit BDPAdc.org and BDPA2019.com.

— Photo credits: National BDPA and bdpatoday

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Regional STEM Summit attracts PMs and Junior Developers from Industry

WASHINGTON — High school and middle school students from across the National Capital Region attended the 23rd annual Youth Summit on Technology produced by Patriots Technology Training Center (PTTC) at Bowie State University. Parents, teachers, and sponsors from NSBE, NSBE Jr., and regional BDPA Chapters joined hundreds of students attending cybersecurity workshops, technology panels, and STEM exhibits during this year’s STEM summit.

“Empowering Students Through Technology” has been PTTC’s mission for over 20 years by increasing the number of students, primarily 5th through 12th grades, entering into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) post-secondary fields of study and career paths.

Their award winning program includes an annual Youth Summit on Technology, Summer Camps, and the Patriots STEM Carnival. PTTC also engages in Amusement Park Design, Biology/Chemistry/Math, Biomedical, Cyber Security, Flight Simulation (above), Lego Robotics, Science Bowl, Solar System, and Video Designing competitions for participating. PTTC students have attended Regional and National Society of Black Engineers conferences and regional BDPA Innovation Summits.

iSummit19

Program managers and developers from the Defense Department, public, and private sector organizations participated in this year’s STEM workshops, tech industry panels, or served as judges during BDPA’s regional coding competitions.

National BDPA’s Northeast Region co-hosted its annual regional High School Coding Competition (HSCC) with BDPA of Greater Washington, D.C.’s (BDPA-DC) annual Innovation Summit at Bowie State University. During this year’s Advance Program Briefing to Industry (APBi) and fireside chat, Navy Commander Erica Dobbs, DISA; Joy Huggins, Defender Academy; Eileen Gadsden, E-Region Enterprises; and Raymond Bell, Jr. of HOPE Project DMV shared their diverse backgrounds with members. Their recent success stories revealed how well their respective organizations uniquely continue to successfully navigate complex digital transformations with legacy technology, aging policies, and cultural challenges while assimilating traditionally underrepresented communities into tomorrow’s tech workforce.

National BDPA’s HSCC program, launched by Dr. Jesse L. Bemley in 1986, will feature this year’s regional finalists from participating chapter cities during national scholarship rounds in Atlanta, GA during #BDPACon19, August 1-3, 2019. BDPA-DC’s 2019 regional HSCC teams were co-sponsored by AIS and bdpatoday. Select here to co-sponsor local teams and order new swag for this year’s journey to Atlanta!

— BDPA photos ©2019 bdpatoday

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Tech Titans honored during Washington’s 40th Anniversary Community & Technology Awards

Industry Legends and ‘Hidden Figure$’ welcome America’s next generation of coders to community trade associations

WASHINGTON (bdpatoday) – This year’s annual Community & Technology Awards gala, co-hosted by the District of Columbia’s Small Business Development Center (DC SBDC), celebrated a 40-year milestone reached by National BDPA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter (BDPA-DC).

(L-R) Norman Mays, Founder, BDPA Washington with Carl Brown, Executive Director, DC SBDC.

Ceremonies were held at Howard University in the Armour J. Blackburn Center. DC SBDC is a co-operative program hosted by Howard University in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Dr. Marvin Carroll (center), President & CEO of Tec-Masters, Inc. and Howard University alumnus (BSEE ’58) greets new student members and BDPA-DC IT Showcase participants.

National BDPA’s Washington, D.C. Chapter Lifetime Achievement Awards

Ms. Andrea Roane, 2018 BDPA-DC Lifetime Achievement Award

Mr. Walter B. Sanderson, III, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award

Victor S. Gavin, 2018 Community & Technology Lifetime Achievement Awards

Recipients (L-R) for 2018 are:

Retired WUSA-TV newswoman Andrea Roane, TEGNA
Walter B. Sanderson, III, Vice President, Human Resources, SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Victor S. Gavin, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and retired SES, Department of the Navy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Information Operations and Space (DASN C4I/IO/Space)

BDPA Washington, D.C. President’s Awards
Recipients (L-R) for 2018 are:

Jaquan Thorne, H.O.P.E. Project DMV
Sonya Davis, H.O.P.E. Project DMV
Eugene Neal, H.O.P.E. Project DMV
Robert M. Stewart, H.O.P.E. Project DMV

BDPA Washington, D.C. Community & Technology Awards

11-30-2018 BDPADC EVENT HU -pmcdougall087

Recipients (above left to right) for 2018 are:

2018 President’s Award for Community Service
Maurita Coley Flippin, Esq.
President & CEO, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council
2018 Entrepreneur of the Year
Joseph Carter
President & CEO, R&K Cyber Solutions LLC and Founder of Lenvio, Inc.
2018 Industry Sponsor of the Year
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)

CEO’s and graduates from the Department of Defense’s Mentor Protégé Program attended to support new student members, Interns from the National Capital Region, and welcome Jr. Developers into industry’s next generation. The Honorary Chairman for this year’s special event was Antwanye Ford (left), President & CEO of Enlightened, Inc. an award-winning, HUBZone certified, Information Technology (IT) and Management Consulting firm.

Dr. Margaret Wood (right), President & CEO of WOOD Consulting Services, Inc., an award-winning Inc. 5000 Government Services firm, provided the gala’s Welcome Keynote address from Industry. Tec-Masters, Inc., Dr. Marvin Carroll, President & CEO and Howard University alumnus (BSEE ’58), sponsored the Award Gala’s Industry reception.

Author and award-winning journalist Jesse J. Holland, who wrote “The Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?” commissioned by Marvel Entertainment for the hit film, was the association’s Industry Keynote Speaker for the 40th Anniversary Community & Technology Awards Gala. Gala attendees received autograph copies of his best-selling book.

Holland (left, with BDPA-DC Founder Norman Mays) also is the author of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Finn’s Story” and “The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House”; the latter was honored at the Independent Publisher Book Awards and by Smithsonian.com. He is also a race and ethnicity writer for The Associated Press as well as a former White House, Supreme Court, and congressional reporter.

Nationally, BDPA is one of the largest technology-inclusion community trade associations featuring data and computer sciences, cybersecurity, and STEM professionals. National BDPA’s Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter (BDPADC) was Chartered in 1978 in the District of Columbia. BDPADC supports National BDPA’s mission, provides community advocacy in support of legislative affairs, and publishes bdpatoday (ISSN 1946-1429) for local BDPA Chapters, regional STEM organizations, and global mission-partners.

For more information about National BDPA, community programs across the nation’s 40 BDPA chapters, and career development activities within the National Capital Region, visit → BDPADC.org.

(L-R) Keith Scott, BDPA-DC Cyber Programs; Perry Carter, bdpatoday; Kia Silver-Hodge, BDPA-DC Corporate Relations Executive; and Jesse J. Holland, Award-winning journalist, Marvel’s author of “Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?” and Keynote Presenter.

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Contributors:
Enid Doggett, INSPR Media and Kia Silver-Hodge, BDPA Washington

Photographers/Videographers:
Evan J. Carter, Patricia McDougall, and Catherine Williamson

Join Mission-Partners and BDPA Members during BDPA-DC’s Holiday Soirée at Samsung, Saturday, December 8, 2018. In 2018, Samsung Electronics America and BDPA Washington reached 40-year milestones. Mr. Terry Halvorsen, EVP and CIO of the mobile IT and mobile B2B group at Samsung Electronics America and BDPA-DC’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, will keynote this year’s 40th Anniversary event!

RSVP before December 7th, 2018 | BDPADC.org

BDPA St. Louis Captures National Coding Title

NEW ORLEANS, LA—BDPACON18, the combined global tech conference co-hosted by National BDPA, National Society of Blacks in Computing (NSBC), and the Institute for African American Mentoring in Computer Sciences (iAAMCS) adjourned this past weekend in New Orleans with national student finalists and a coding team from St. Louis, Missouri emerging as 2018’s newly crowned National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) champions.

Rounding out the Nation’s top five HSCC teams are:

BDPA Southern Minnesota
BDPA Cincinnati
BDPA New Jersey
BDPA Washington, D.C.

National High School Coding Competition finalists, IT Showcase finalists, and Youth Technology Camp (YTC) students who participated in BDPACON18 head back to school with their local BDPA chapters.

BDPA, formerly known as Black Data Processing Associates, was founded in 1975 to promote professional growth and technical development across underserved communities for those in or entering information and communications technology (ICT) oriented fields of interest and related industries. Today, National BDPA has chapters in over 40 U.S. cities with a wide variety of technical, community, and government relations outreach programs promoting workforce and economical development.