Rick Noriega is Chief Executive Officer of the Ronald McDonald House-Houston (RMHH). This community based organization offers a home away from home, providing care and compassion to all families with seriously ill children being treated in the Texas Medical Center institutions. Under his leadership, RMHH has undertaken an aggressive expansion campaign to serve more families and children. Hispanic Business magazine named Noriega as one of their Top 100 Influential Hispanics.
Noriega’s career includes distinguished service in business, as a public servant and in the Army. He was Manager of Economic Development at CenterPoint Energy, Inc. in Houston for fifteen years, during which time he also was elected to five terms in the Texas House of Representatives. His most notable accomplishment was the authorship of the Texas Dream Act, which has benefited thousands of Texas college students. In 2007, Noriega was elected the Texas Democratic Nominee for the U. S. Senate. He worked as the Vice President of Neighborhood Centers Inc. where he managed the newly formed disaster case management program as well as six community centers.
As a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Brigadier General Noriega currently serves as the state’s Assistant Deputy Adjutant General Army. Noriega also served as a White House appointee to the Military Leadership Diversity Commission.
Noriega proudly served in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, as commander of the Kabul Military Training Center for Afghan forces. Upon his return from Afghanistan, Noriega was appointed by Houston Mayor Bill White as Incident Commander of the city’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts at the George R. Brown Convention Center. His leadership was crucial in transforming the Convention Center into a virtual city that cared for nearly 30,000 evacuees, and then was dismantled within a month.
