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No, their people haven’t sent out a press release about the news and only “sources” are talking but it doesn’t look like we need Brandy’s publicist to say anything. Pictures say a thousand – or at least a few carats – words.

The future Mrs. Ryan Press is currently on vacation with her future husband and while we thought she may have been trying to hide the ring, recent pictures posted show that is absolutely not the case. B-Rocka posted a couple of pictures to her Instagram account and her ring finger was strategically places in both photos so that we can all get a pretty good view on her newest and most important piece of jewelry. From what we can see, it looks gorgeous.

Speaking of gorgeous, I don’t think we knew that Ryan was working with all that under his clothes.  That was quite the unveiling in its own right.

To further personally confirm her engagement, Brandy told a friend who posted a “He put a ring on it” t-shirt that she needed to get one of those soon.

We know no one is more excited about the news than Brandy and she looks extremely happy on vacation (and young – she hasn’t aged much at all since we were introduced to her in the ’90s).

Congrats again to the beautiful couple!

Current Occupation: Software Engineer
Recent read: EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
Twitter handle: @commandmobile is the Twitter handle

Welcome to another installment of “Behind the Click” where I bring you a look at today’s African-American female movers and shakers in the tech world.  This time, I had an opportunity to connect with DeAnna Davidson who is President and CEO of Tracen Technologies.  Tracen specializes in enterprise mobile software applications, integrated mobile and web solutions, and IT Program Management support for commercial and government customers.  If it sounds heavy duty, it’s because it is.  DeAnna is quite an achiever and has an impressive background in the realm of math & sciences. This is my first look at someone quite like DeAnna so I think you will find her background and current responsibilities nothing if not inspiring.  Here we go!

 LdC:  So I read that you attended  North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics?  How did you decide on that school?

DD:  The first time I heard about NCSSM was at a summer program at Wake Forest University the summer before 9th grade.  As soon as I heard about it, I was hooked.  It seemed like a challenge, something rare in my academic career, and it seemed like a great opportunity to be exposed to so much more academically than was available at my local high school.

LdC: What was it like for you in North Carolina?

DD:  I was in academically gifted classes from sixth grade on.  That meant that all through middle school and early high school I was either the only African American student (male or female) in most of my classes or one of the very few.  Programs like the Awards Committee for Education, Duke University’s Talent Identification Program and the option of attending NCSSM were excellent opportunities for a student like me.  In many ways, I was very fortunate to have grown up in NC and have those resources available to me.

LdC:  What led you to pursue an MBA?

DD:   My husband and I started Tracen, a technology company, in 2000.  With an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering, I felt very confident about my technical ability and wanted to have the same confidence in my business acumen.  So, an MBA seemed like a good idea.

LdC:  Tell me more about Tracen?

DD:  My husband and I founded Tracen in 2000.  While working for a government contractor developing mobile software applications back in 1998, way before everybody had a gadget in their pocket, I got really passionate about the advantages mobile technologies could bring to any industry.  When we started Tracen, we knew we wanted mobile technologies to be a focus area for the company.  We also felt very strongly that we could create a company that would be a great place for developers and technologists to work and feel valued and be treated well.

Hey, All!  The “Behind the Click” series continues  with a profile of Pauline  Malcolm.  As Senior Vice President of Sales at StyleHaul Inc, Malcolm provides expert insight into what works and what is next in social media advertising.

Current Occupation: Senior Vice President at Stylehaul

Favorite website: I have many but my favorite is Twitter as it pulls in all of important websites and writers that I read as a constant stream and helps me keep my finger on the pulse.

Favorite read: A Taste of Power, A Black Women’s story; powerful book about the first black woman who led the Black Panther Party.  This book left an indelible impression on me as far as female empowerment and leadership.

Recent read: Steve Job’s biography, Steve Jobs

2012′s ultimate goal: Surpass my donation goal for my charity, The Possibility Project

Quote Governing Your Mission or a Quote that Inspires You: Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense” by Sir Winston Churchill

Twitter handle: @paulinemalcolm

LDC:What was it like attending Baruch College?

PM: The experience was enriching, challenging and mind opening.  The student body at Baruch boasted up to 200 countries so I was constantly exposed to many different cultures and point of views which made my collegiate years very exciting.  The diversity of the school helped me enhance my social skills and how to relate to different people which greatly helped me in dealing with people in business today.

LDC: What sparked your interest in computer science?

PM: I was always fascinated by innovation and building new things.  The internet revolution was starting while I was in college, circa 1994/1995 and I was blown away by entrepreneurs entering the commercial web space and creating game changing companies like Netscape, AOL, etc.  I wanted to embrace this new phenomenon as it was happening so I decided to add Computer Science as a minor but kept marketing as a major to ultimately learn the front end and back end of a tech business.

Current Occupation: Director, Technology Business Operations
Favorite Website: learnvest.com
Recent Read: Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni
2012′s ultimate goal: Finding ways to better integrate my work life and personal life
Quote that inspires you:: Just Do It – Nike, The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. – Albert Einstein.

Ready for another installment of the largest building profile archive of African-American women in technology? I’m bringing it to you straight, with no chaser! This time, the focus is Ebony Frelix, who is a colleague of mine in the tech realm. More specifically, she is the the Director of IT Business Operations at Salesforce.com a company that provides solutions for businesses wishing to better utilize the power of cloud computing as well as CRM (customer relationship management). Ebony also gives back to the young, Black female demo in a very special way too. Read on to find out more….

LDC: Ebony, what was it like growing up in San Francisco and earning your computer degree there? In fact, what led to your initial interest in computers or is it almost obligatory living so close to Silicon Valley?

EF: I’ve always loved the rapid pace and constant speed of innovation in technology organizations. Prior to starting my career in technology, I found myself drawn to techie’s in my company – I wanted to understand what they were doing. So I worked with my manager to create a career path leading to tech. At the same time, I shifted my degree to CIS so I could have the credentials to back me up in my new endeavor.

LDC: How did you obtain the position you have now?

EF: Through my social network. I was at my previous company for 11 years and I wanted to take my career in a different direction. While still focusing on technology, I wanted to spend more time driving strategic initiatives and programs on a larger scale. When a friend forwarded the job description at salesforce.com, I knew the job was the perfect match for my skill set and career goals. Before I was called in for interviews, I used my social network to research the role, hiring manager, and company. I knew before my first interview that I wanted to work at salesforce.com.

LDC: So given that, describe exactly what you do and what a typical day is like for you?

EF: Typical day? There is no typical day. That’s what I love about my job at salesforce.com. My focus is on finding ways to increase the bandwidth and velocity of our leadership team, and creating a framework that enables the organization to evolve and mature. Every day is something new and exciting, giving me an opportunity to work with various internal and external partners for the success of the company. It’s a blast.

LDC: So you’re company focuses on cloud computing (a lot of people say they don’t understand what clouds are, but in fact, if they have ever used Gmail; they’ve accessed a cloud. It’s being able to pull massive data from an independent storage area, so to speak). Why you think cloud computing is so important and what its future impact will be on general consumers.

EF: Cloud computing is important because it’s mobile, it’s social, and because it changes with you. Cloud computing brings real-time collaboration to the enterprise using concepts we already know from services we use in our consumer lives. And as an IT executive or CIO, you don’t have to buy any hardware, software or infrastructure, so you’ll never need to budget for an upgrade or buy another server; it just makes sense.

I think we’re seeing the future of cloud computing happening now. We call this next phase the social enterprise, where companies are transforming how they engage with their customers and employees. We live in the cloud already, working there just feels natural.

LDC: So true! But talk to me a little about the philanthropic organization Year Up and why you feel that program is so important.

EF: I’ve worked with Year Up since the Bay Area site opened in 2008. To date, salesforce.com has hosted 47 interns. The program is important because it introduces youth and more diversity into our offices. There is a divide that exists in this country that prohibits talented young adults from accessing opportunities in technology – this is even more challenging for young African-American women. Year Up Bay Area is not a hand-out but a hand-up for young, talented adults to access the skills, education and networks so critical to be successful in today’s corporate environment. For many of these women, this is their path to college success and it’s possible only through the support Year Up Bay Area provides. I feel the work Year Up Bay Area is doing is crucial because it increases the opportunities available to African-American women, opening the doors to management roles, increasing annual earnings, and creating further opportunities for minorities in the future – ending cycles of poverty and dependence. The Year Up program provides the platform and opportunity for young women of all ethnicities to attain success for themselves.

LDC: Do you see Year Up also assisting with encouraging more African-American females to get involved in science & technology?

EF: Yes. Year Up clearly works hard to reach that specific demographic, enabling them to become self-sufficient. I’ve worked first-hand with quite a few talented young women from the program and am thrilled to see doors opening for them. The overall goal of Year Up is to connect skilled talent with corporations looking to hire talented workers, and that is not limited to any specific demographic. In fact, one of the Bay Area classes was the first in the program to have more female students than male!

LDC: Understanding what hurdles these girls might have to overcome, what hurdles have you had, if any, that you feel may have been a bit race/gender related and how did you move past them?

EF: Before salesforce.com, I recall a time early on in my tech career where a co-worker commented ‘Why are YOU here?’ I was a junior computer operator working the graveyard shift and had been on the job less than a month. Instead of letting him discourage me, that comment acted as a motivator. It became my goal to show him and others like him why I was qualified. Not in a sense to prove anything to them – instead, I was proving to myself that I had what it takes to go wherever I wanted to go. As a rule, I don’t let hurdles distract me; I use them as a launching point (turn a hurdle to a step) and move past it. In a few years, I went from junior computer operator to First Vice President.

LDC: Speaking of hurdles, race and all; What are your thoughts on this recent Infographic regarding diversity and Silicon Valley which is causing some controversy?

EF: I believe the gap is in education. If we want more minorities in technology, we need to focus on providing education and training programs that reach them. As a child, I was never discouraged from considering technology, management, or other high-level career tracks. So as both a woman and a minority, I don’t focus on barriers. I believe it has more to do with education and mindset than a deliberate attempt to exclude minorities from entering into technical professions.

LDC: What’s your greatest hope for your career and the tech industry for 2012?

EF: Personally, I will look for ways to continue to learn, grow, and drive change. As an industry, we must continue to look for opportunities to hire from a diverse candidate pool when applicable. It’s not about handouts, it’s about a hand up. I was certainly given opportunities in my career, and I look for ways to pay it forward.

Don’t miss the next profile. In the meantime, keep up with the intersection of tech and lifestyle via my site www.ldcoleman.com and follow me on Twitter @mediaempress.

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Current Occupation: Vice President and General Counsel, Wyse Technology Inc.
Favorite website: Economist.com
Favorite read: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
Recent read: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2012′s ultimate goal: Getting my 13 year old daughter into a good high school this fall
Quote Governing Your Mission or a Quote that Inspires You: Carpe Diem
Twitter handle: @chereemcalpine

Ready for another profile on women making moves in the tech space?  If so, you are in for a treat.  So far I’ve profiled entrepreneurs and VP’s, but I have yet to zero in on one of the most important areas of the game, until now.  With new terrain being carved out daily, those with legal expertise are key in moving the industry along.  I was fortunate enough to connect with Cheree McAlpine, a key attorney in Silicon Valley, who will give us a peek at what it’s like to be part of the inner legal circle of the tech world.  Get ready for some hot insights from the General Counsel at Wyse Technology, a leader in cloud client computing:

LDC: I’d love to know when did you first become interested in law?

CM: I’ve always loved advocacy, speaking , and debate  (my mother would say arguing), but  at some point law just became a natural and obvious choice if you want to do what you love.

LDC:  There are probably not too many Black female attorneys in your field. Do you find your gender/race a challenge in Silicon Valley?

CM: I have experienced a wonderful 17-year legal career in Silicon Valley where technological innovation is key and knowledge is a premium.   I am currently the General Counsel and head lawyer at a global company.   I understand and can appreciate the uniqueness of my situation as an African American woman in this position and I certainly can’t say that I haven’t experienced conscious or unconscious biases in my profession.  My focus professionally has always been on understanding my value as a lawyer and businesswoman in the Silicon Valley business community and having the confidence to pursue the positions that are suitable to me without personal regard to race and gender.

Sponsored By

In our latest installment of Behind The Click, we are profiling Danii Oliver, who is the co-founder of DAMN Digital Studio, LLC – a company that specializes in emerging technology platforms in the digital space.  She has some interesting insight as well as suggestions for women interested in getting into the digital game.  So sit back and take notes.

LDC:  So I understand you went to Baruch College. What was it like attending that school?

DO: Before Baruch, I attended Temple University. I designed my own degree “Business and Graphic Communication” (a concentration on Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship, Fine Art, Commercial Art and Digital Media Development), which at the time did not exist. I left Temple, and previously Arcadia University, because I completed all the courses that those schools could offer me to meet my unique degree requirements.

I also studied abroad with Semester at Sea through Pittsburgh University. Semester at Sea is a unique study aboard program that sails nearly 700 students around the world in 104 days. Each regular semester, they make stops in 10 countries for one week. Students explore the countries’ city and culture while learning first-hand what life is like outside the U.S. Ambassadors from each port of call joined us in the country before we visited their country in order to prep and inform us on cultural nuances. This was the greatest of all my experiences. It broadened my horizons well beyond anything as person who had never left the U.S. could imagine. I suggest that all students take advantage of studying abroad to learn about other cultures and broaden their knowledge of the world outside of where they live.

LDC: What encouraged you to pursue your interest in all things tech/programming?

DO: My passions encouraged me to pursue all things tech/programming. I am an artist by nature and I enjoy creating aesthetics, sensory or sensory-emotional experiences. My work had gotten to the point that my still images weren’t enough; they needed to be brought to life to tell a bigger and broader story. I needed a plot and scenario; actions and reactions to occur in my work and it was important to me that the audience always be deeply engaged. This coupled with too many trips to Disney (can’t count anymore) and my love for the supernatural, paranormal and science fiction led me to work with technology.

I only see myself creating something from nothing. Programming lets me do just that while engaging people. Technology has us all in awe and it is the way of our future. I just want to be the first to create something we’ve only read in books and make it real.

Madame Noire is back with the first profile of the year in my Women in Technology series.  I’m  kicking this one off with a individual who wears a couple of hats, each very special.  Welcome to the world of Monique Woodard; an entrepreneur of a mobile company for lifestyle apps called Rebelle as well as the co-founder of a networking organization called Black Founders  for Black tech professionals.  I had the opportunity to catch up with the Florida-raised entrepreneur and  wanted to share the thoughts of my colleague in the tech space, so here we go!

LDC:  You started your career dealing with brand strategy.  What led you to your interest in brands and consumer behavior?

MW: I started my career at a brand naming agency, leading projects for companies like Starbucks, Avon, and Bayer. So that’s probably where my interest in brands started. Since then, I’ve worked in e-commerce product marketing and became deeply involved in what makes consumers act — specifically online.  Now, when brands are entering our personal lives more than ever and touching our lives at so many different points — web, social, mobile — I think it’s interesting to see how brand loyalty is influenced by consumer interaction with a brand outside of strictly commercial channels.

LDC: What inspired you to start this new venture of yours, Rebelle?

MW: Rebelle is a mobile app company for lifestyle apps that touch the ways you shop, engage with fashion, and entertain yourself. I’ve always been interested in fashion and lifestyle. I once ran a fashion blog. My goal with Rebelle is to continue to create web and mobile experiences that people love. Our first app, Speak Chic, is a mobile app that helps you correctly pronounce fashion brands. If you’ve ever stumbled over ‘Christian Louboutin’ or heard someone mispronounce ‘Versace’ (‘pass that Versazy’), then you know how potentially embarrassing that can be. This app helps you avoid that. Speak Chic will be available in the Apple App Store on January 24 and will be followed up later in 2012 with a fashion gaming app.

LDC:  What did you think of the Black in America CNN special that recently ran about the African-American challenge in Silicon Valley?

MW: Black in America put a much-needed spotlight on many of the issues around diversity in Silicon Valley, but more importantly, it highlighted a group of entrepreneurs who were stretching toward something really positive. Some of that was lost in people getting caught up in one or two controversial sound bites. Angela Benton and Wayne Sutton did an excellent job with the first class of NewMe Accelerator and you can already see companies like BeCouply and Central.ly using it as a launchpad to create sustainable businesses.

However, Silicon Valley has always had a small but well-connected group of black executives and entrepreneurs who have been in Silicon Valley for quite a while and could have given a perspective that was missing from the piece. If you want a true picture of black people in Silicon Valley, then those voices should be part of the conversation.

LDC:  What are plans for “Black Founders” for 2012?

MW: Last year (2011) was a year of Black Founders testing and refining our programming to determine what black entrepreneurs need most and 2012 is going to be the year of expanding those programs so that more people can take advantage of them. Sponsors are working with us on a college tour to expose students to Silicon Valley startups and internship programs and we are working on a major program that will give entrepreneurs outside of the Bay Area a chance to benefit from the programs that we’ve built.

Black Founders will be speaking at South by Southwest leading the panel “Pay-it-Forward: Building Successful Startups” and we’ve also been invited to attend TED — a conference for “the world’s leading thinkers and doers”. We’re incredibly inspired to see how many people and organizations have embraced our message and want to work with us on this movement to connect and create more successful black tech entrepreneurs.

(ABCNews.com) — A funny thing happened after the Securities and Exchange Commission tightened up the disclosure requirements on executive perks in 2006: Companies began to scale back dramatically on the personal jet flights, sports tickets and other benefits they used to slip top executives unnoticed. Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson must not have gotten the memo. Last year Adelson, worth $9.3 billion by our reckoning, reported $2.7 million in perks, nearly equal to his $2.8 million in pay and bonus. The bennies included $2.45 million for security for himself and family members, $168,812 for a car and driver, and $67,000 in reimbursement for the taxes due on $118,000 in personal aircraft usage. And by “personal”, we do mean personal: Adelson charged the company $6.1 million for the use of two 747 jumbo jets he owns through a Bermuda corporation.

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