Delta Lambda Chapter Represents at 94th Annual Eastern Regional Convention
Delta Lambda Chapter Represents at 94th Annual Eastern Regional Convention
Author: Tommy de Jongh
ERC 2026
The Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Delta Lambda Chapter traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 15-19, 2026, to participate in the 94th Annual Eastern Regional Convention. Under the powerful theme "FRATERNITY FORWARD: The Era of Value, Impact, and Progress," the convention brought together brothers from across the Eastern Region for five days of fellowship, professional development, and fraternal business.
The convention opened on Wednesday with a community service event, setting the tone for a week dedicated to our core values of service and leadership. Delta Lambda brothers participated actively in the registration and delegate certification process, ensuring our chapter's voice would be heard throughout the proceedings.
Leadership and Innovation
A special recognition is due to Brother Louis Randall, who with support from our chapter IT committee led the convention's IT operations with exceptional skill and dedication. Brother Randall and his team worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure seamless technology integration throughout the event, from registration systems to virtual participation capabilities. Their work exemplified the "FRATERNITY FORWARD" theme, demonstrating how innovation and technical excellence support our fraternal mission. The IT Committee's efforts enabled smooth delegate certification, efficient communication, and enhanced engagement across all convention activities.
Throughout the week, Delta Lambda brothers engaged in meaningful business sessions led by District Directors from across the region. The convention featured critical reports from the Membership Committee, Fraternal Standards, and Budget & Finance Committee, providing transparency and strategic direction for the Eastern Region's future.
IMPACT Day: Workshops for Growth
Friday's IMPACT Day programming offered brothers valuable professional development opportunities. Workshops covered diverse topics including AI literacy and justice, financial planning with Chase Manhattan, military benefits and compensation, and strategies for securing fraternal facilities. College brothers benefited from specialized sessions on marketing, branding, and civic engagement, while sessions on graduate school planning and homeownership provided pathways for personal advancement.
Inspiring Leadership
The convention featured powerful addresses from Eastern Regional Vice President Brother Rasheen Smith and Eastern Regional Assistant Vice President Brother Jeremy Henderson. Their leadership and vision for the region resonated throughout the business meetings and inspired brothers to elevate their chapters' impact in their communities.
Saturday's public program, "State of the Black Agenda," brought together distinguished Alpha leaders including Brother Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and Brother Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League. This panel discussion addressed critical issues facing our communities and reinforced Alpha's commitment to advocacy and social justice.
The General President's address, introduced by Brother Henderson, provided strategic direction for the fraternity and challenged brothers to embrace the convention's theme by delivering measurable value, creating lasting impact, and driving progress in their respective spheres of influence.
Celebration and Brotherhood
Beyond business sessions, the convention provided numerous opportunities for fellowship and celebration. The O. Wilson Winters Life Members Luncheon honored our senior brothers, while the Njisane Omawale College Brothers Luncheon and Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Competition showcased the next generation of Alpha leadership. Saturday evening's AlphaEast College Talent Showcase, featuring the Miss Old Gold & Black Pageant and step show, demonstrated the creativity and excellence that define our fraternity.
The convention concluded Sunday morning with an ecumenical service and the Old Gold & Black Awards Brunch, celebrating brothers who exemplify our highest ideals of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity.
Moving Forward
As Delta Lambda brothers returned home from Atlantic City, we carried with us renewed energy, strengthened connections, and practical tools to advance our chapter's mission. The 94th Annual Eastern Regional Convention reinforced that Alpha Phi Alpha remains committed to developing leaders, serving communities, and shaping the future.
We extend our gratitude to Brother Louis Randall and the entire IT Committee for their outstanding work, to Brothers Rasheen Smith and Jeremy Henderson for their exemplary leadership, and to all the brothers who made this convention a success. As we move forward, Delta Lambda Chapter remains committed to the values of "FRATERNITY FORWARD," delivering value, creating impact, and driving progress in our community and beyond.
On the Front Lines of the Skills Gap: The Mission of Ready Force Cyber
TECHNOLOGY
On the Front Lines of the Skills Gap: The Mission of Ready Force Cyber
By: Bro: Tommy de Jongh
The United States faces a shortage of roughly 500,000 cybersecurity professionals, and the gap is widening. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry faster than most educational institutions can keep pace with. For Tommy de Jongh, a member of Delta Lambda’s Fall 2023 line, that gap is not an abstract policy problem. It is the thing he shows up to close, one student at a time, as the Director of Workforce Development for Ready Force Cyber.
Ready Force Cyber is a small African-American and Veteran led nonprofit built on a straightforward conviction: that access to quality AI and cybersecurity education should not depend on geography, income, or institutional prestige. The organization operates across multiple program areas, reaching K-12 students, college undergraduates, career changers, and working professionals. It trains educators through a Train-the-Trainer model, equipping teachers with the curriculum and certifications to lead AI and cybersecurity classrooms themselves, multiplying impact well beyond any single instructor. To date, the organization has trained more than 500 educators and reached over 1,200 students, with 92 percent of trained educators applying new skills within three weeks.
Brother de Jongh is currently spearheading the launch of Ready Force Cyber’s UpSkill Academy, an online training platform designed to prepare students to pass industry-recognized IT certification exams. The academy has secured partnerships with CompTIA and ISACA, two of the most respected certification vendors in the field. CompTIA certifications, including Security+ and CySA+, serve as baseline credentials for cybersecurity professionals across the public and private sectors. ISACA’s credentials, including CISA and CRISC, are among the most sought-after designations in risk management and information security. By anchoring the UpSkill Academy to these industry standards, Brother de Jongh is ensuring that graduates leave with credentials that employers already recognize and respect.
Most recently, Brother de Jongh brought that work directly to Howard University, where he served as a guest speaker, teaching students how to build applications and websites using AI tools. The session reflected a broader philosophy that runs through everything he does: that AI literacy is not a luxury for the technically inclined but a foundational skill for the next generation of professionals, regardless of their field of study. At one of the nation’s most historic HBCU’s, that message landed in exactly the right room.
Brother de Jongh does not arrive at this work theoretically. By day, he is an IT consultant at KPMG, working in cyber transformation, helping federal organizations modernize their security infrastructure to meet dynamic threats. He also currently serves part-time as a cyber officer in the Air Force Reserves, and previously commanded an intelligence Company in the Army National Guard. His technical education includes Master’s of Professional Studies in cyber intelligence from Georgetown University. That combination of corporate consulting, active military service, and academic depth gives him a rare vantage point, one that allows him to design programs grounded in what the field actually demands rather than what textbooks suggest it requires.
Across all of it, mentorship has been the constant. Brother de Jongh has worked with students at every level, from middle schoolers encountering cybersecurity concepts for the first time to older adults pivoting careers later in life. He draws from each layer of his experience to meet students where they are, and he has built programs that reflect the full range of what AI and cybersecurity education can look like when it is done with intention. Delta Lambda is proud to stand behind a Brother who is not waiting for the skills gap to close itself.
Author Bio: Bro. Tommy de Jongh is currently the Associate Editor for the Delta Lambda Chapter. He works full-time as an IT consultant and part-time as an Air Force Officer for the Department of Defense. His initiation chapter is Delta Lambda as well, and he crossed in October 2023.
Dentist, Officer, Leader: The Relentless Service of Brother Dr. Wesley D. Thomas
ALPHAS ON THE MOVE
Dentist, Officer, Leader: The Relentless Service of Brother Dr. Wesley D. Thomas
By: Bro: Tommy de Jongh
Brother Wesley D. Thomas, holds a lot of titles. General dentist, Lieutenant Colonel in the District of Columbia Army National Guard, Treasurer of the American Board of Dental Examiners, and most recently Morehouse College’s inaugural 50 Under 50 honoree. What connects all of it is not ambition, but a consistent orientation toward service that has defined every room he has entered. Since the fall of 2006, Bro. Wesley Thomas has been a Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha, initiated into the Kappa Xi Lambda Chapter, and is currently an active member of the Delta Lambda Chapter.
His recent election as Treasurer of the American Board of Dental Examiners represents a natural progression for a man who has spent years working to make dental licensure fairer, more rigorous, and more consistent across the country. ADEX develops and maintains the clinical examinations used to license dentists and dental hygienists across the United States, and Brother Thomas arrived at the treasurer’s seat having already served as both Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the District of Columbia Board of Dentistry, and as a Board Commissioner for the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. He has not simply observed these systems. He has shaped them.
His record in uniform is equally striking. As State Dental Officer for the D.C. Army National Guard, currently serving at the Pentagon under the Defense Health Agency, Brother Thomas led his unit’s dental readiness program to a 97% readiness rate, ranking first in the nation. That figure is not a statistic in isolation. It represents hundreds of service members fit and ready to deploy, a direct result of sustained, disciplined leadership. The Army Commendation Medal and the Major General Calvin G. Franklin Leadership Award are among the honors his service has earned.
Brother Thomas is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who left the South with honors and kept building. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and completed his residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York City, where he served as Chief Resident. The foundation was rigorous, and it shows.
This year, Morehouse College named him to its inaugural 50 Under 50, a selective recognition honoring alumni whose leadership, service, and professional excellence reflect the College’s mission. Candidates were evaluated across four pillars: professional achievement, community and civic impact, commitment to Morehouse, and personal story. Brother Thomas was measured against each one and found deserving. His selection affirms what Delta Lambda has long known.
Beyond the clinic and the armory, Brother Thomas serves on the Board of Trustees for Levine Music and actively supports the Washington National Opera, Washington Performing Arts, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha, and does a fantastic job demonstrating the aims of our Fraternity: Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind. Delta Lambda is proud to call him Brother and is glad to have a stellar leader in the chapter.
Author Bio: Bro. Tommy de Jongh is currently the Associate Editor for the Delta Lambda Chapter. He works full-time as an IT consultant and part-time as an Air Force Officer for the Department of Defense. His initiation chapter is Delta Lambda as well, and he crossed in October 2023.