Blacks Gone Geek: September 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 25, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 25, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:
Job Seekers Forum
BDPA iRadio Show - September 27, 2011
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 9/21/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)
President Profile: Allison Aheart (BDPA Hampton Roads)
Take Five: Barbara Allen (BDPA Cleveland)
Obama's Weekly Address: Strengthening the American Education System
bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue
Open Source Tools in a Web 2.0 World (BDPA Atlanta)

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-insider-september-25-2011.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Job Seekers Forum

Why is my job search taking so long?

Date: Monday, September 26, 2011

Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (new number)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

BDPA iRadio Show - September 27, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders. We have an exciting line-up for our show on September 27.

Todd Q. Adams, Co-owner, Visibility Marketing

Paulette Johnson-Davis, VP-Member Services, National BDPA

Wanda Gray, Chapter President, BDPA Cincinnati

Lahesha Williams, Founder, Career Help for Christians

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-iradio-show-september-27-2011.html

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 9/21/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)

BDPA Twin Cities Place 5th at National Computer Competition. The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago.

The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS). The Twin Cities Chapter High School Competition Team took fifth place out of 45 teams. The Rochester team won first place, Detroit team placed second, Columbus, Ohio team placed third, and the Atlanta team placed fourth.

Click here for more:

http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/?p=6269

President Profile: Allison Aheart (BDPA Hampton Roads)

BDPA Hampton Roads chapter was founded in February 2009. It is one of the youngest chapters in BDPA with only two chapter presidents in its history. The current chapter president is Allison Aheart.

Allison Aheart has over 14 years of leadership and management experience in corporate and non-profit business environments with special focus on budgeting and resource management, business process improvement, technology implementation, business & research analysis, software application management & administration, and project management across multiple disciplines. She is diplomatic, an effective communicator, a problem solver, a relationship builder, and brings value to any leadership team.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-profile-allison-aheart-bdpa.html

Take Five: Barbara Allen (BDPA Cleveland)

BDPA is transitioning its governance to include regional representatives. Barbara Allen became the first-ever BDPA Midwest Regional Vice President when she won the election held last month at the national conference in Chicago.

Barbara moved to Cleveland in January 2007 after spending the previous 27 years in northern California. She served as an officer in the past for both BDPA Bay Area and BDPA Cleveland chapter. We asked Barbara to share her insights as part of our 'Take Five' interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-barbara-allen-bdpa-cleveland.html

Obama's Weekly Address: Strengthening the American Education System

President Obama explains that states will have greater flexibility to find innovative ways of improving the education system, so that we can raise standards in our classrooms and prepare the next generation to succeed in the global economy.

I think that President Obama is absolutely correct when he talks about the need for us to significantly improve our educational system if America ever hopes to 'win the future'. It is disappointing to hear the Republican presidential candidates talking about abolishing the Department of Education. Don't they understand that our nation's future is tied to the improved competitiveness and education of our young people?

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/obamas-weekly-address-strengthening.html

bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue

bdpatoday

(September 2011 Issue)
http://www.bdpatoday.org/11/SEP11-Newsletter_Final.pdf

Open Source Tools in a Web 2.0 World (BDPA Atlanta)

PHP! MySQL! Joomla! Drupal! Wordpress! What are these Open Source tools that have taken the online world by storm? How do they relate to the Blogosphere? What is their role in Web 2.0? How can adopting an open source strategy affect your company's IT road map? How can an IT professional personally migrate from novice to experienced practitioner?

Join us as noted IT entrepreneur Andre' Barnes defines these topics and more during an informative and interactive session on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-source-tools-in-web-20-world-bdpa.html

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 18, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 18, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:
Geeks Gone Great Chats with National BDPA President Yvette Graham
Job Seekers Forum
BDPA Dallas HSCC Team (2011)
Take Five: Kelly Hill (BDPA Los Angeles)
Why Technology Networks Are Important to African Americans
Job Hunters – A Resource Guide to Landing the Job
Confidence is King: One Day in a Job Search
Microsoft Tour and Demo (BDPA Los Angeles)
Two Simple Questions To Avoid Value-Free Change
Blacks In Technology Podcast #19: Kellep Charles (SecurityOrb.com)
bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-insider-september-18-2011.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Geeks Gone Great Chats with National BDPA President Yvette Graham

Yvette Graham has grown up in Black Data Processing Associates, BDPA, and is currently enjoying the crest of her term as national president of the premiere organization for African Americans in Information Technology.

A BDPA leader since the early 80’s, Yvette Graham has made an indelible impression throughout the organization since her early years of service with the Chicago chapter, up through recent years, to emerge as spokesperson and chief executive officer representing over 40+ chapters across the United States.

I had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Graham, just after the August 2011 BDPA Technology Conference in Chicago. She shares her perspective on attaining success with BDPA as well as key values she ascribes to. It was a very special space shared...

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/YvetteGraham.aspx

Job Seekers Forum

Why is my job search taking so long?

Date: Monday, September 26, 2011

Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (new number)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

BDPA Dallas HSCC Team (2011)

Gilbert Mfitumukiza, Bridget Mfitumukiza, Kiera Robinson and Kayla Rhodes

These are the young people trained by BDPA Dallas chapter to compete in the 2011 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship held last month in Chicago.

BDPA Dallas created their Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program to expose young people to the fields of computer science and IT. The chapter seeks to increase the understanding and accessibility of science, technology, engineering and math in historically disenfranchised communities. The SITES curriculum focused on industry standard programming languages, problem-solving techniques and conceptual design.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-dallas-hscc-team-2011.html

Take Five: Kelly Hill (BDPA Los Angeles)

BDPA is proud of its efforts to advance the careers of its members from 'the classroom to the boardroom'. One of real-life examples of that effort can be seen embodied in the person of Kelly Hill. Kelly is a Clark Atlanta University graduate (Class of 2008) who currently works for Lockheed Martin.

As a youngster Kelly represented BDPA Los Angeles chapter in the national high school computer competitions held in Chicago (2001), Orlando (2002) and Philadelphia (2003). She is a positive example of the power of our student information technology education & scholarship (SITES) program. Kelly was kind enough to participate in our Take Five interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-kelly-hill-bdpa-los-angeles.html

Why Technology Networks Are Important to African Americans

by Kai Dupé

The lack of support networks has been identified as a critical aspect to involving more African Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). While I agree that this is very important, I do not agree that African Americans lack technology support groups. I assert that the problem is that the African American community at large is not aware of the networks that do exist.

There are three that I have worked with over the years. I am sure there are others and I am even more certain that most of our people, particularly our young people are not aware of these groups. I know this because I do quite a bit of public speaking around the country. When I ask students if they are familiar with The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), BiTWiSE, or Blacks In Technology the answer is invariably no.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-technology-networks-are-important.html

Job Hunters – A Resource Guide to Landing the Job

Samantha, a student at the Coastal Academy in California, found a really nice resource website for job seekers. It’s got links to resources and tips on resume/curriculum vitae, cover letter, interview etiquette, follow-up, career websites and staffing agencies. Thanks Samantha!

Finding a career you enjoy is a worthwhile endeavor, but it does take some legwork on your part to get the job of your dreams. Today’s employers want to get a comprehensive look at their potential employees before they make a hiring decision. As a job seeker, understanding the information that businesses are looking for can mean the difference between getting hired and just adding your resume to their files. It is essential to understand the process and know where to look for the job that will be the right fit for you.

Click here for more:

http://www.businessdegree.net/resources/job-hunters-a-resource-guide-to-landing-the-job/

Confidence is King: One Day in a Job Search

One day a call will come from a networking friend. Someone I’ve shared coffee with and someone who knows my job search objectives. Turns out that a job has opened up with one of my target companies.

One day my resume will be walked into a hiring manager whose eyes will sparkle as they read about my background.

One day I will get a call from that same company who thinks I might be a good fit for their new position. They will be right.

Click here for more:

http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2011/09/09/confidence-is-king-one-day-in-a-job-search/

Microsoft Tour and Demo (BDPA Los Angeles)

We encourage all of our BETF-Blog readers in Southern California to join BDPA Los Angeles chapter on October 4, 2011 for a tour of the newly opened Microsoft Store in the Westfield Century City Mall. Join the chapter's leadership as they check out the latest technologies from Microsoft and network with others.

The tour will include a personal demonstration of the new Windows 7 phone.

Microsoft Tour and Demo:

October 4, 2011

7:00 - 8:30 pm (PST)

Westfield Century City Mall

10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90067

You can click here to RSVP for the tour:

http://bdpala-oct2011.eventbrite.com/

Two Simple Questions To Avoid Value-Free Change

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Mark E. Calabrese

Often times we’re tempted to add new processes, new templates or tools, modify existing procedures, re-organize – you name it. Sometimes such changes are called for, but other times they’re performed for the sake of performing them. Change for its own sake is never good. It can be a drain on time, resources and on morale.

When confronted with such ideas – whether your own or from others – try asking these two simple questions:

Click here for more:

http://mecmusings.com/2011/09/17/two-simple-questions-to-avoid-value-free-change/

Blacks In Technology Podcast #19: Kellep Charles (SecurityOrb.com)

This blog seeks to support the efforts of the Blacks In Technology folks as they interview remarkable IT professionals of color.

In this podcast Greg Greenlee along with guest co-host Ronnie Hash, speak with IT Security consultant and guru Kellep Charles. Kellep operates and is also an IT Security consultant for SecurityOrb, an information security knowledge based website for security members. The flows into information security, latest data security threats and an interesting review of the log management tool Splunk.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/blacks-in-technology-podcast-19-kellep.html

bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue

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Saturday, September 17, 2011

GEEKS Gone Great Chats with National BDPA President Yvette Graham

Yvette Graham, President
National BDPA

BGG: Madame President, what would you like to share regarding how your experiences as a young person helped to shape the woman and leader you are today?

YG: Well I’ve been fortunate every step of my journey to have the help of special people who are close to me. Right out of school I was fortunate enough to land a position with Allstate, which would prove to be a career defining move. It was actually at Allstate where I received my first exposure to BDPA. I found out about the corporate chapter there, and was asked to be a guest speaker to present on “DB2 Relational Databases”. I had no idea then that I would dare to achieve the many successes I’ve enjoyed with BDPA. BDPA helped me to be a stronger professional and leader at Allstate. But I must also credit my strong church background as an early influence that shaped who I am. And I would be remised if I did not speak of the support that I have received from my husband. For 25 years, he has supported me throughout my journey of who I am today. So you see I’ve had strong support systems along the way that have helped me to learn and grow.

BGG: A strong support system is everything….and you have given us an idea of how you were able to embrace your success. Who would you say has been your greatest inspiration from a mentor perspective?

YG: In terms of a mentor role, as far as corporate

America

goes, I have to say there is a gentleman from my church who provided many years of guidance and mentoring. In fact I admire this person so, because he is one of the first African American officers at
Comm Ed. He worked very hard to come up through the ranks to become an executive. He is the type of person who believes in giving back and therefore helped to mentor me professionally. He has given me a great deal of advice, for example something so simple like learning from the good habits of people. I have learned how to observe others as well. To this day I can refer to the “toolkit” created in my mind that holds those handy tips that I can use when I need to.

I also can thank my personal mentor, my mother, who really instilled in me the value of being a lady. No matter the situation, she instructed me to always be a lady – from dressing like a lady, to behavior. It’s been something that I’ve carried out, and it works for me. I don’t try to be someone other than who I am in any circle I travel in. Although I interact with a largely male population, I conduct myself in a manner that people can respect.

BGG: For anyone who does not know, let’s talk about the many roles you’ve held with BDPA over the years. Tell us about your evolution and also the work that launched you to another level?

YG: I had chaired the AllState Corporate Chapter, which I have to say was a wonderful introduction to the senior officers at my company. My management was committed to invest in my development and has been extremely supportive through the years.

The number 1 thing I was so passionate to accomplish was the work to help our young people. In fact, BDPA created a position just for me, which was centered on college students. This presented my first really big introduction to corporate

America

, having to create a national internship process. All of these resumes started rolling in, from all over the United States, mind you, and I had to articulate to corporate CIO’s and the like, the value of our program and help to place these students. I stayed actively involved with all stakeholders to create a strong model for this program. Eventually National BDPA asked to take over the program which was the SIP (Student Internship Program).

The work I was able to accomplish there, paved the way for my leadership role with Chicago. I continued to learn and develop, with the support and backing of my company to evolve into a stronger leader, both where BDPA was concerned and also as a director at Allstate. As president of Chicago chapter, I started attending national board meetings and began to identify where I could help and a new level within the National organization, and the rest as they say is history.

BGG: As a wife, mother of a college senior, church leader, and leader in corporate America, you are responsible for so much, on top of being president of a national organization, which requires a rigorous travel schedule, countless appearances, chairing untold board meetings, etc. What advice would you impart for such success for others with high ambition?

YG: I learned very early to balance, but I also have the help of many great people who do wonderful work. Who you have on your team is very important for your success. I would say building relationships is so important, I can’t say enough about the value of good relationships I continue learning many things from observation. And whenever I am faced with major decisions, I don’t make a move without weighing all the circumstances and without prayer.

Towards the end of my presidency with National BDPA, I can say that I’ve grown mentally and spiritually. My time in office was met with many challenges and opportunities that have stretched me. I’ve learned so much and I’m not even the same person I used to be. And it’s funny, but I really never thought that I would be national president; I had no ambitions towards being national president of BDPA.

BGG: Really??! It seems with the various roles you’ve held at the local Chicago level, and then moving on to hold offices at the national level, that it would be a logical transition to position to run for higher office?

YG: No, never did I think of it. I’ll tell you. I had worked with so many people along the way - I knew so many people across the organization (nationally) that 6 different chapters nominated me for national president, including Chicago. I looked at the situation from the point of the opportunity was presenting itself to me. But before I made one move, I weighed it. I had conversations with my husband, I discussed with my Chicago Chapter leaders, and I discussed with my All State organization. I had the backing and support of all three. If I had not had the encouragement of any one of them, I would not have run!

BGG: Every president has a legacy. BDPA has existed since 1975, now for the first time, starting in 2012 the regionalization of chapters, will be attributed to your administration, correct? What challenges were overcome to deliver this major organizational change effort?

YG: This is correct, although the research and initial analysis on moving the organization to a regional model took place under the prior administration (which I was a part of), it was this administration that moved it forward by including it within our 2010-2011 Strategy where a team was pulled together to: 1) design the bylaws to support Regionalization; 2) define the breakout of chapters aligned to the four regions; and 3) finalize the stage of electing the Regional Vice Presidents and Regional Directors during this past delegates meeting held in Chicago.

As far as challenges, I would have to say it centered on communication. Change is very difficult for everyone, but to overcome that change we had to ensure that we were communicating the right message to the right people at the right time. As a leadership team, we had to be sure that we provided a message for the local chapter presidents, for the local chapter “incoming presidents”, as well as being available to discuss this with all members of the organization.

Finally, because this new model was starting under our incoming president, Monique Berry, we decided that she should be the voice of this change since it will be led by her. This gave BDPA the opportunity to begin hearing from Monique, instead of me. I believe all of this helped with the implementation of Regionalization.

BGG: What are the greatest advantages to regionalization and what are the important next steps members can look forward to?

YG: The greatest advantage of regionalization is that more focus can be placed on the needs of chapters. Under the current structure of BDPA, it is expected that the National Executive Committee would be able to design programs that would support our 40+ chapters. This was a great model in the 70s and 80s, because we were a growing organization without as many chapters. Now that we have grown, to better serve our chapters, we needed to put leaders in place that support the needs of the chapters within a region (for example the programs needed on the east coast could be completely different that the programs needed for the Midwest).

BGG: So, what’s next for Yvette Graham?

YG: I really don’t know!! There’s a lot of talk and speculation around my next move, to be honest, I really haven’t fully processed that yet. I’ve had a very full term as national president with so much activity going on, and I even served as Chair of my church’s 90^th Anniversary Program last year, in addition to everything else going on in my life! There wasn’t any time to think about what will come next for me. I do know that at some point I would like to hold a corporate board seat, but as for right now, I’m just enjoying my time! I will just say I’m having fun considering the possibilities!

# # #

This article was written by Sheila Marionneaux, contributing editor for Blacks Gone Geek.

Join The Blacks Gone Geek Community http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx

Job Hunters – A Resource Guide to Landing the Job

Click here for more:

http://www.businessdegree.net/resources/job-hunters-a-resource-guide-to-landing-the-job/

Join The Blacks Gone Geek Community http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Job Seekers Forum

Why is my job search taking so long?

Date: Monday, September 26, 2011
Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (new number)
Participant Access Code: 671366

Agenda
Introductions:
--Come prepared with your 30 second elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:
--Why is my job search taking so long?
--Q&A

Roundtable:
--Good news
--Upcoming events
--Volunteer Opportunities

Click here for more information:
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

Join The Blacks Gone Geek Community http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 11, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 11, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:
Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central
Top Three (3) Ways to Build Your IT Community
BDPA iRadio Show - Youth Technology Camp Students (August 25, 2011)
BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Team (2011)
How Many Mobile Apps are Produced by African-Americans?
Congressional Black Caucus: 'African Americans Joining the Leading Edge of the High Tech Boom'
6 Tips to Make a Great Impression in an Interview

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-insider-september-11-2011.html

Click here for "The BDPA Insider" Archives:

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:

--The Pierson Method--Job Search Work Teams (http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/teams-orgs/jobsearchworkteam.htm)

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Roundtable:

--Good News

--Upcoming events

--Volunteer Opportunities

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011

Start Time: 07:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 8:30 PM Eastern

End Time: 08:25 PM Central Daylight Time, 9:25 PM Eastern

Dial-in Number: 1-213-289-0500 (Los Angeles)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

Top Three (3) Ways to Build Your IT Community

September 6th, 2011

By Ricardo Wilkins

As IT Professionals, we spend many years developing our crafts and investing in our careers. Along the way, we have all been fortunate enough to get help from many sources, including colleagues and mentors who decided to take the time to share their knowledge and experience with us.

As a result, we grow in our profession. Most of us inevitably ask the question – what can I do to give back and make the same investment in others someone made in me? Fortunately, there are many ways in which we can ‘return the favor’ in the IT Community while making a positive impact on our industry.

Click here for more:

http://www.itmartini.com/columbus/stories/ways-of-giving-back-to-the-it-community/

BDPA iRadio Show - Youth Technology Camp Students (August 25, 2011)

BDPA iRadio Show host Franne McNeal hosted a Special Edition of the Internet radio show that featured student participants in the 2011 BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC) held last month in Chicago. This annual event provides interactive, hands-on workshops, seminars, and activities for students seeking to gain valuable exposure in leading edge technology topics. This event gives students the opportunity to network with young entrepreneurs and other youth from around the country who are pursuing academic and professional futures in the computer technology industry.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-iradio-show-youth-technology-camp.html

BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Team (2011)

L-R: William Morgan, Samuel Gonzalez, Brian Stempin (trainer), Norman Morrison, Hayward West (chapter president) and Pedro Soto

The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program hosted by our BDPA Philadelphia chapter covers a variety of topics in the world of information technology. Instruction is provided in creating databases using MySQL, programming, Java, Linux and web development. The training not only prepares students to compete in regional and national competitions, but also provides them with skills in team building that can be valuable as they enter into the workforce.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-philadelphia-hscc-team-2011.html

How Many Mobile Apps are Produced by African-Americans?

Article by Kai Dupé, Cross-posted from Atlanta Post

There are over 425,000 mobile apps available on Apple’s App Store for the iPhone. The Android Marketplace now has well over 30,000 apps for their devices. According to the website TechCrunch, there has been more than 1 Billion downloads from the App Store as of April 2009. Here is a question? How many of these apps are produced by African Americans?

I would venture to guess we are producing very little. Mobile phones are the most ubiquitous way people communicate and interact with information. With more than 5 billions users communicating and interacting on these devices, the lack of African Americans producing mobile apps has to change.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-many-mobile-apps-are-produced-by.html

Congressional Black Caucus: 'African Americans Joining the Leading Edge of the High Tech Boom'

Soulclap to the folks at Black Web 2.0 for letting us know that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation will dedicate some time in their annual conference to talk about a topic that is increasingly popular by the day, technology. Technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, along with members of the African American tech community will take part in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

During the Annual Legislative Conference, held on September 23rd from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) will host an issue forum, entitled 'African Americans Joining the Leading Edge of the High Tech Boom'.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/congressional-black-caucus-african.html

6 Tips to Make a Great Impression in an Interview

Interviews can be daunting, but you can rock them with a little preparation and practice! Not sure how to make a great impression in an interview? Impress your future employer with these interview tips:

Prepare for the interview
Dress well
Arrive on time
Act confident
Ask intelligent questions
Say “Thanks”

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 4, 2011

The BDPA Insider - September 4, 2011

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:
Happy Birthday: Curtis Jenkins
Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker-Job Search is a Team Sport!
Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central
Take Five: Jamesetta James (BDPA Greater Columbia)
BDPA Philadelphia Supports Pennsylvania MESA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
“Should-hood”
Cloud Brokerage is Gaining Ground
Gates Millennium Scholarship Program
Hundreds of U.S. Data Centers Closing

Click here for the latest issue of "The BDPA Insider":

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Happy Birthday: Curtis Jenkins

One of the most accomplished BDPA leaders in our history is Curtis Jenkins. He celebrates his birthday today!

Curtis has been an active member and leader of the BDPA Philadelphia Chapter since 2002. Curtis Jenkins served as the Immediate Past President for 2008 and 2009 and also the Corporate Advisory Council Chairperson for BDPA Philadelphia. In his duties as Immediate Past President, he served as an ambassador, mentor, and voting member of the BDPA Philadelphia Executive Committee sharing his experiences as a President and member of the National Board of Directors for BDPA. As Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) Chairperson, Curtis is primarily responsible for the solicitation of CAC membership, scheduling and facilitating the quarterly meetings, maintaining the CAC Charter and serving as the focal point for information between the CAC and the BDPA Executive Board.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-curtis-jenkins.html

Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker-Job Search is a Team Sport!

by Milt Haynes

This has been an exciting week! I joined a Job Search Work Team where I learned about the Pierson Method. Now I'm convinced that finding a job is a team sport. It's like basketball, football and soccer, it takes a group of people working together toward common goals to win on the field.

What is a Job Search Work Team?

A job search work team is:

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/09/chronicles-of-it-job-seeker-job-search.html

Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:

--The Pierson Method--Job Search Work Teams (http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/teams-orgs/jobsearchworkteam.htm)

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Roundtable:

--Good News

--Upcoming events

--Volunteer Opportunities

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011

Start Time: 07:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 8:30 PM Eastern

End Time: 08:25 PM Central Daylight Time, 9:25 PM Eastern

Dial-in Number: 1-213-289-0500 (Los Angeles)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

Take Five: Jamesetta James (BDPA Greater Columbia)

Jamesetta James has worked the past few years as the national coordinator of the BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC). Earlier this year she provided her review of the 2011 YTC experience in Chicago. She has had a positive impact on hundreds of young people over the years and we thought it would be good to hear from Jamesetta as part of our Take Five interview series:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-jamesetta-james-bdpa-greater.html

BDPA Philadelphia Supports Pennsylvania MESA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

BDPA seeks to advance the careers of African Americans in the Information Technology (IT) industry from the classroom to the boardroom. An important element of that process is ensuring that our young people have exposure and experience to as many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs as possible.

As such, it was a no-brainer for our BDPA Philadelphia chapter leadership to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nationally-recognized Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) initiative in Pennsylvania. MESA is an academic preparation program for K-12, community college and university-level students that was originally created in 1970. The program provides academic support to students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds throughout the education pathway so they will excel in math and science and ultimately attain four-year degrees in STEM fields. The program has successfully been replicated in over a dozen other states.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-philadelphia-supports-pennsylvania.html

“Should-hood”

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Mark E. Calabrese

A friend of mine out in Baltimore used to tell me, “Should-hood leads to Shit-hood”. This is particularly applicable to those of us in management roles. Whether you’re managing a project, a team or even your own life, focusing on the ‘should’ can be a good thing or a bad thing.

“Should-hood” – the mindset of focusing on what should be – isn’t bad in the right context. Focusing on what ‘should be’ is how we apply our core values to our own words and actions. ‘Should’ is a very powerful mindset…..when applied to oneself. The problem comes when we focus on what ‘should be’ when it comes to the words and actions of others.

Click here for more:

http://mecmusings.com/2011/09/02/should-hood/

Cloud Brokerage is Gaining Ground

by Daryl Plummer | August 31, 2011

All of a sudden, everyone is interested in cloud services brokerage. Well, by everyone, I mean end customers looking for an easier way to integrate cloud computing into their plans and vendors seeking a new set of markets to mine. But no matter the interested party, one thing is clear. The options for doing cloud brokerage are growing steadily.

When we introduced cloud services brokerage in 2009, we described a concept about intermediation between services. The value was in having a third party take on a lot of the work of aggregating, integrating, customizing, or governing (nee managing) cloud services on behalf of the end consumer. In a subsequent update last year, we did a number of reports, including a piece called “Cloud Services Brokerage: Taking Intermediation to the next Level” that described the concept in even more detail. But through all of that, the activity around cloud brokerage remained mostly at the application and platform level of cloud services. Companies like Appirio and Jamcracker were getting a lot of attention for integrating or aggregating cloud services into new application solutions. GXS, Hubspan, and Liaison were among the B2B networks starting to see interest grow – a case study on Mohawk Fine Papers that we recently published illustrates this. And this week, Dell has announced its plans to broker Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and other cloud SaaS solutions by aggregating and integrating using the Boomi brokerage enabling technology which they acquired. This is part of the steady growth at the applications level. But now, we are beginning to see the rise of brokerage at the infrastructure level as well.

Click here for more:

http://blogs.gartner.com/daryl_plummer/2011/08/31/cloud-brokerage-is-gaining-ground/

Gates Millennium Scholarship Program

The Gates Millennium Scholarship Program will select 1,000 talented students next year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. The deadline for submitting an application is January 11, 2012.

Scholars will also be provided with personal and professional development through their leadership programs, along with academic support throughout their college career.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/gates-millennium-scholarship-program.html

Hundreds of U.S. Data Centers Closing

To save money, the U.S. government will shut down hundreds of data centers across the country and consolidate their services into its remaining data centers. The White House Office of Management and Budget recently announced that it would be shutting down 373 U.S. government data centers by 2012.

Over the last two years, the number of U.S. data centers has quadrupled, and yet they are running at only about 27 percent utilization, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The maintenance costs of these data centers, including backup power supplies, air conditioning, fire-suppression and special security devices, has been astronomical, causing them to consume 200 times more power than the typical office space. By more fully utilizing the remaining data centers, the White House hopes to maintain current service levels while drastically cutting costs

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/08/hundreds-of-us-data-centers-closing.html

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