Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Panel Luncheon

MODERATOR

Noelle Pinkard, Esq - Organizational Advancement Officer at Hampton Roads Transit & WTS HRC Board Member

Noelle leads the agency’s government relations and transit advocacy efforts locally, in Richmond, and in Washington, DC. Prior to joining HRT, she worked for members of the United States Congress, the Virginia General Assembly, and previously served as the Director of Government Relations at Hampton Roads Transit. She has spent the bulk of her government relations career advocating for increased public transportation funding for the Hampton Roads region.

Over the past several years, Noelle has participated in DEI efforts at HRT, and is currently co-chair of the agency’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee. She recently graduated from the University of Virginia’s Local Government Equity Clinic. The clinic is designed to train local government professionals in best practices in DEI as they pertain to issues surrounding housing, transportation, and land use. The year-long clinic culminated with Noelle presenting HRT’s DEI strategic plan.

In May 2010, Noelle graduated from Regent University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Noelle also earned two master’s degrees in business management from Wilmington University: public administration and human resource management. She graduated from Virginia Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History.

In addition to her full-time role at HRT, Noelle is also an adjunct college instructor teaching business management, paralegal studies, and criminal justice. She currently resides with her family in Virginia Beach, Virginia where she enjoys gardening and fishing.

PANEL MEMBERS

Dr. Johnny J. Garcia - Innovation Leader in the modeling and simulation, and healthcare industries

Inspired by his parents and grandparents and dedicated to a life of service for family, community, and the technology industry, Dr. Garcia is Founder and CEO of SimIS Inc., SimIS Holdings LLC, Nimbus Health Systems, Cedar Point Golf, Cativa Health, Prasili LLC, Sticks Golf, Garcia ES LLC and Health Care Simulations LLC, and investor in numerous other businesses.

He has become an innovation leader in the modeling and simulation, and healthcare industries. He serves area youth through his robust internship programs. His philosophy of making a difference permeates his many service activities; numerous board memberships, STEM program development; volunteering service to local, state, and international organizations; and mentoring newly started small businesses and nonprofits.

He serves on numerous boards (President of the Hispanic Chamber, Vice Chair of Hampton Roads Chamber, President of Portsmouth Partnership, Begin Again Foundation, Chair of Hampton Roads workforce council, Chair ODU College of Engineering, Chair ODU VMASC, Boys and Girls Club, Starbase Victory, Communities in Schools, Portsmouth Athletic League, First Chesapeake Robotics, and many others. Dr. Garcia served five years in the U.S. Navy as an enlisted operations specialist second class petty officer and worked in industry for 15 years before founding his first business SimIS Inc. Dr. Garcia is a known leader in the community and his service is his compass. Dr. Garcia has degrees from Old Dominion University (PhD), St. Leo College (BA and BS) and the Florida Institute of Technology (MS) (MBA). He is the proud father of a wonderful set of 19-year-old twin daughters – Hope and Faith – and married to his lovely wife of 34 years, Lorena.

Georgie Márquez - Principal & President, Andre + Marquez Architects, Inc.

Georgie is Principal Owner at Andre + Marquez Architects, Inc., a SWaM certified, Hispanic woman-owned Architecture and Interior Design firm in Norfolk.

She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia to practice Architecture and is certified as a CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) Professional.

She is involved with several local and national organizations, including WTS, the Hampton Roads Chamber, the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Women in Defense, and the Hampton Roads Association of Commercial Real Estate (HRACRE). She served as the 2020 Chair of the Hampton Roads Chamber’s Norfolk Division Board and the 2022 Vice-Chair of Diversity for the Chamber’s Executive Board. She also volunteers with the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Institute of Architects, serving on the statewide Disaster Assistance Committee.

In 2018, Georgie was appointed by the Norfolk City Council to the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. In 2021, she was appointed as an Invited Member of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s Technical Advisory Committee to support developing a Coastal Adaptation and Protection Master Planning process. In July of 2022, she was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel under the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

She was selected as an honoree for Inside Business’s 2018 Women in Business Achievement Awards and was recognized by Virginia Business as one of “100 People to Meet in 2022: Builders.”

Georgie is part of the mentor group with Arquitina, a national organization whose mission is to go above and beyond the 1% of licensed Latina architects in the U.S. while creating equitable and inclusive opportunities in the architecture profession.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she has lived in Mexico City, Mexico, and Madrid, Spain, and currently resides in a 110-year-old home in Portsmouth.

Kia Moten, MA, MBA - Business Diversity Manager, Norfolk International Airport

Kia has more than 15 years of experience in human resources leadership, DEI, and strategic planning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant & Stratton College, a master’s degree in business administration from Strayer University, and a master’s degree in law from Regent University.

Cortley West - Director of DEI, Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC)

Cortley has more than 18 years of experience in the public sector, holding various positions from the Attorney General’s Office of Human Rights, to the Naval Exchange Service Command (Department of Navy), VDOT, and the University of Virginia Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights Office (EOCR).

He believes that “DEI integration is the foundational building block to organizational culture, success, and sustainability. It is the awareness and celebration of everything that makes your employees unique and amazing, combined with the strategy and data that keeps your organization agile and highly effective.”

In his free time, Cortley likes reading Sci-Fi books, working outdoors, and watching his kids surpass all the things he thought he was good at!