BRIDGE Connect Newsletter
1st Quarter Recap
January - March 2016

Board Past and Present:    
January 8, 2016 
  
The 2nd Annual BRIDGE Board Past and Present event took place January 8, 2016 with current, past, and founding board members coming together to understand the core values of why the organization was created and the work still to be done. It wasn't all work, in the spirit of comradery with games and deep discussion on  current issues. BRIDGE is comprised of some of  the best and brightest black professionals as reflected by the board leadership.  
 

For t Worth YP Bash 2016 
January 12, 2016
 
BRIDGE along with 5 other young professional organization came together in the spirit of collaboration during the inaugural Fort Worth YP Bash. This event sponsored by New York Life Insurance was a  fun way to demonstrate the strength of the YP's within Fort Worth. Held at the Panther Island Brewery, young professionals from the organizations of BRIDGE, SteerFW, Vision Fort Worth, Young Professionals in Energy, Texas Young Professionals and Lena Pope networked together with live music and complimentary brewery drinks to kick-off 2016.  
MLK Day Parade and Rally
January 18, 2016
 
BRIDGE continued our organization's tradition of walking in the annual MLK Day Parade in downtown Fort Worth.

BRIDGE 101  
Developing Generations of Excellence
February 18, 2016

Our annual BRIDGE 101 kick-off event was a huge success. With the focus of  "Developing Generations of Excellence", the board rolled out it's 2016 strategic plan to do just that. Some of the key focuses were the inaugural BRIDGE scholarship fund for graduating Fort Worth ISD high school seniors, and our partnership with Read2Win. The guest speaker was Sultan Cole, who is the Director of Program Development for Read2Win. BRIDGE also accepted book donations from attendees focused on African American characters, culture, and/or by African American authors to be donated to elementary aged kids. The 101 event set the tone for the year.
Our Website Redesign
February 18, 2016 

Visit http://theBRIDGEconnect.org for events, professional development opportunities, ways to get involved, request for partnerships/collaborations, to donate, and much more!
Black History Month 2016
"Building Generations of Excellence"
February 2016 

B RIDGE celebrated Black History Month 2016 through biographical Facebook posts which honored past, present and emerging Fort worth, Texas Black leaders.
 
We started our BHM bios by honoring trailblazers who under extreme conditions built the foundation to make the many professional and civic opportunities we have today possible. We also honored those who, within our lifetime, have continued to work so that we have education and career equality. We ended our 2016 Black History Month Facebook posts by honoring you, our members. As emerging leaders it is now our responsibility to reinforce the foundation or equality for future generations. We are proud that you have chosen to join us in building generations of excellence.
 
Pictured: Isaiah Milligan Terrell (1859-1931). We were surprised and excited to see that the Facebook biography of legendary I.M Terrell, whom the first African American High School in Fort Worth was named, reached almost 50,000 viewers.

BRIDGE Facebook Page Reached 1000 Likes 
February 28, 2016

Thank you for helping BRIDGE Fort Worth reach 1000 likes on our Facebook page!

BRIDGE Membership Enrollment
January 15-February 30, 2016

Our first enrollment cycle for the year began January 15, 2016 and ended February 29, 2016.

BRIDGE, black professional organization focuses on professional development, education/awareness, and community involvement. We also provide opportunities for networking and cross-networking. We believe in pay it forward service, so if you are looking to have an impact on your community, consider BRIDGE. Our next enrollment cycle will open in June 2016. 
Welcome to our newest members:
 
Aziza Travis
Dimanche Brewer

Eva Willams

Alexandra Aggor
Whitney Peoples
Taniyah Carter-Washington
Sharon Moore
Terrell Shaw Maiya Hollie
Stacie Miller  Racquel Stevenson
Nikki Johnson
Draylen Ross
Undra Semple
Lachrystal Starling
Tamiyah Fletcher
Louie McClain
Frederick Darden II



 
One Minute Mondays 
 
BRIDGE Professional Development Committee has launched " One Minute  Mondays",  short professional and leadership focused videos to start your week off right. These  videos which are available  exclusively for our members can be found on  our website,   http://theBRIDGEconnect.org/ blog .
 
Videos will be posted on the 2nd and 4th Mondays each month.
BRIDGE "Check-In" Mixer
March 31, 2015 
 
Our first "Check-In" mixer of the year was held at The Local in Fort Worth. It was exciting to see a lot of new faces and fun networking atmosphere which included a D.J. As usual the networking continued well after the event; a great sign of professional relationship building at its best! 
Inaugural BRIDGE Scholarship 
March 2016

We officially launched our inaugural BRIDGE scholarship for Fort Worth ISD African-American high school seniors entering college in the fall. We look forward to presenting 3 students with scholarships (one $1,000 and two $500) at our General Membership meeting on Thursday, May 19th.

Click here to donate to the BRIDGE Scholarship Fund. 
 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
  
  Dr. Keon Anderson
 
BRIDGE is an organization that values the contributions of its members. As a result, each quarter we will highlight active members and their commitment to the success of BRIDGE.

This quarter, BRIDGE would like to spotlight  member, Dr. Keon Anderson.   
 
Dr. Anderson is the Dental Director at Pristine Smiles of Irving, TX.   Prior to practicing dentistry,Dr. Anderson, a New Orleans native, worked as a manager for the General Motors Corporation in Arlington, TX. He completed his undergraduate education at Louisiana State University. He obtained his D.D.S. from Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry. Dr. Anderson holds active dental licenses in Texas and Louisiana. 
  
Dr. Anderson is a member of several professional societies, including the Texas Dental Association, Fort Worth Dental Society, American Dental A ssociation, and the National Dental Association.  Dr. Anderson is a Louisiana State University Foundation Member.  He is a Life Member of K appa Alpha Psi Fraternity and is an active member in the local Fort Worth Alumni Chapter.  Dr. Anderson has a passion for philanthropy and he and his wife have established the Minority Health Professions Scholarship at LSU and TCU to assist with the recruitment and retention of African Americans in the fields of medicine and dentistry. He and his wife have also established the Joe Ann Anderson memorial scholarship at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in honor of his late mother.  
 
Dr. Anderson's interests include sports, traveling and the arts. He is very active within his community and is an adult member of the NAACP. Dr. Anderson enjoys spending time with his wife Dr. Aiyanna Anderson, a local Forth Worth perinatologist, and his son Jaden. Dr. Anderson enjoys being a member of BRIDGE and looks forward to networking with other young professionals.
  
BRIDGE UPCOMING EVENTS...
eSocial  
E NGAGE, EMPOWER, EVOLVE, and EXCEL
Our eSocial is a professional development initiative in which we provide Active Level BRIDGE members  access to community and business leaders within the community in an informal social setting to dialogue about issues we face as black professionals. 
 
Mereaux Wealth Strategies , founded by one of our BRIDGE founding board members, Jeremy Miller, has agreed to sponsor our eSocial events again this year.   
 
Our first of two eSocial events will be held Friday, April 22, 2016
 
 
 
Committee Days

To consolidate meetings, BRIDGE has 
moved to  Committee   Days. 
BRIDGE will host a committee day the first Tuesday of each quarter and all committees will meet on this day. The next Committee Day is scheduled for July 5th at 6:30pm. We are asking for your participation to provide your ideas for taking our organization to the next level!
In The Loop Book Review Club
 
In the Loop Book Review Club is our new Professional Development initiative in which a volunteer reader selects a book focused on professional development and/or leadership, summarizes, and as a group we will discuss the key professional development and leadership points once a month.
 
Our next meeting will be on Saturday May 14th at 9:30am and is open to all members. This month's book will be "Leadership: Essential Selections on Power, Authority, and Influence. Sign-up Here>>>
 
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED...
Children's Book Donations Drive
 
Our BRIDGE 2016 community involvement focus is literacy and education. We are collecting elementary age children's books at each of our official events and partnering with the Read2Win initiative to combat illiteracy among our youth.
 
 
The Strategic Alliance Committee would like to thank everyone who has provided  books for the  Book drive as well as those who have  signed up to be a part of the Read2Win partnership. All BRIDGE events during 2016 serve as donation spots for children's books centered on African American characters, culture, or written by African American authors. A portion of the books collected will be given to children during Read 2 Win's end of the year celebration. Please consider donated new or gently used books that fit that criteria at any of our events or email us for alternative methods of donating, bridgefw@gmail.com
   
AmazonSmile
  
initiative, which is a way for you to support your favorite nonprofit organizations. If you shop on AmazonSmile, .05% of your purchase will go to the charitable organization of your choice. During this holiday season we hope that you will consider utilizing our personal AmazonSmile link to make your online purchases.


 

 

Get Out the Vote (GoTV)
 
Our Get Out The Vote (GoTV) plan is to provide awareness, register voters, and encourage voter participation. We are asking our members to do their part by becoming Deputy Registrars through the Tarrant County Elections online system. By getting deputized, you will be able to legally register voters and submit their applications.  
  
Complete the online training here:  
Http://vdr-tarrant-tx.training.clarityelections.com/SelfRegistration.aspx


2016 BRIDGE Board

Sabrina Conner, President
Joshua Willis, Vice President
Daryl Davis, II, CFO
Kandice Boutte, Executive Administrator
Javan McLin, Parliamentarian
Jeff Postell, VP of Membership
Aaron McWhorter, VP of Strategic Alliance
Tia Cole, VP of Fund Development
Airin Barnett, VP of Special Events
Erica Robinson, VP of Marketing and PR
Darryl Atwaters, VP of Professional Development

 
MEET THE BOARD MEMBERS
 
S
abrina is the BRIDGE President and a founding member. She is a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University (B.S.) and UT Arlington (Master of Public Administration). Sabrina's past work experience includes Director of Constituent Services for the Office of State Senator, Wendy Davis, and she is currently a Program Director with MHMR of Tarrant County.  

Josh is the BRIDGE Vice President and a founding member. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (BBA) and University of Dallas (MBA). Josh has vast experience in transportation and is currently Manager of Equipment Utilization for BNSF Railway.  
Aaron McWhorter is BRIDGE board Chair for Strategic Alliances. He has his bachelor of science & engineering in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. He currently works as a senior Electrical engineer at Jacobs Engineering.  

Daryl is the Chief Financial Officer for BRIDGE.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Business management degree from the University of Phoenix and a Master's Degree in Education from Northcentral University.  Daryl serves as the Academy Headmaster at ITOP Christian Academy. He is a husband and father of two beautiful children. 

Kandice Boutte, a native of Atlanta Georgia received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Masters in Public Administration from Georgia State University. Kandice currently serves as the Strategic Initiatives Manager for Tarrant County. Prior to working for Tarrant County, she worked for the City of San Antonio and the City of Atlanta.  
Javan Mclin is Parliamentarian for BRIDGE. He is graduate of Jackson State University with a degree in Business Administration and Masters of Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University. Javan  is currently a Front Line Leader at Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. and the co-chair of Bell's Helicopter's Affinity Group, Bell African Ancestry Networking Group (BAANG). 
Airin is the BRIDGE Vice President of Special Events. She is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana. She is currently the Marketing Director and Bookkeeper at Kids Stop Dental.   

Tia Cole is the Bridge Vice President of Fund Development. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska- Lincoln (B.S. Secondary Education & English) and the University of Nebraska - Omaha (M.A. English) by way of Oklahoma State University. She is currently a full-time instructor, program coordinator and discipline leader for Tarrant County College-Northwest Campus.

Jeffery Postell holds an AAS in Construction Management Technology and a BBA from Northwood University.  Jeffery recently project managed the construction of the newly built $60M Tarrant County Tom Vandergriff  Civil Court Building in Downtown Fort Worth and is the President of Post L Group Construction.  Jeffery is a dedicated volunteer at the Como Community Center and serves on the FWMBCC and NAMC Board of Directors.
Darryl Atwaters, BRIDGE Vice President of Professional Development 
earned a BAAS in Public Administration from the University of North Texas. He is  currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. University of Oxford Study Fellowship. Princeton Seminary Fellowship in Black Church and Leadership. 
Darryl Atwaters serves as the Senior Pastor of Eastland Street Baptist Church (ESBC). For the past 13 years, he has directed a teen ministry called, Urban Young Life, to help teens establish and build a relationship with Jesus Christ. 
Erica Robinson is Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for BRIDGE. She is a graduate of Texas Woman's University Bachelor's of Social Work program and the University of Texas at Arlington's Master of Social Work program. Erica currently serves as a Program Manager for Social Work and Nursing Programs and Academic Advisor and Instructor for the Bachelor's of Social Work Program at Tarleton State University - Fort Worth Campus.

 
BRIDGE Black Professionals | 817-330-9827 |  bridgefw@gmail.com | http://theBRIDGEconnect.org
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