Rick Noriega

Noriega was born and raised in Houston.[3] After graduating from Mount Carmel High School he attended Alvin Community College on a Rusk Athletic Scholarship where he played baseball. Noriega graduated from the University of Houston in 1984 with an ROTC Scholarship and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He graduated from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1990. He also earned a certificate in advanced international affairs from the George Bush School at Texas A&M University.[4] Noriega is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he completed his assignment as a fellow at the University of Texas.

Noriega joined the United States Army in 1979 in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis. He became an officer in the Texas Army National Guard in 1984, and served in the Afghanistan War that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.[5]

On his return from Afghanistan, Mayor Bill White requested that Noriega command the evacuee shelter operation at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, where he oversaw thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.[6] Noriega then commanded the Laredo Sector working with U.S. Border Patrol during Operation Jump Start.

Noriega's awards include: the Combat Infantryman Badge; Senior Parachutist Badge; Legion of Merit; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.,[7] and the Legion of Merit.

Noriega was a project manager for Communities in Schools, and taught in the Houston Independent School District and in the Houston Community College System before becoming a staff member for the Texas State Senate. In 1993 he joined the Government Affairs Department of Houston Industries, Inc. (now CenterPoint Energy, Inc.). He became a manager in the company's Economic Development Department after winning the Democratic nomination for Texas State Representative.[8]

Noriega was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1998 and served five terms, 1999 to 2009. He acted as the Budget and Oversight Chair of the Defense Affairs and State-Federal Relations Committee, and also sat on the Appropriations Committee.[9]

Noriega's House district was mostly Hispanic and low income, and included many residents who never completed high school.[10]

He authored and sponsored more than 100 bills in the Texas Legislature. His major legislative accomplishment was authoring House Bill 1403, The Texas Dream Act, in 2001. The bill made Texas the first state to offer in-state tuition rates and financial assistance for immigrant children and started a national movement; today, 17 states have similar laws, providing access to higher education to thousands.

Noriega was selected to serve on the Military Leadership Diversity Commission by the Obama Administration which authored its March 15, 2011 report, "From Representation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for the 20th Century Military."

Noriega narrowly avoided a runoff election by receiving 51 percent of the vote in the March 4, 2008 Democratic primary. His opponents were Gene Kelly (a perennial candidate), Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. Prior to the filing deadline, trial attorney Mikal Watts withdrew from his bid for the Democratic nomination on October 23, 2007.[11] Noriega faced Republican incumbent John Cornyn, who outraised him financially and who received 81 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, in the November 4 general election.[12] Noriega was ultimately defeated by Cornyn in the general election.

In 2011 Noriega, then a Colonel, was named commander of the Texas National Guard's 71st Theater Information Operations Group.[15]

Noriega was selected for promotion to Brigadier General in 2013[16] and assigned as Assistant Division Commander—Support for the 36th Infantry Division.[17] He then served as the Assistant Adjutant General-Army for the Texas National Guard. Noriega retired effective January 31, 2018, and received an honorific promotion to major general on the state's retired list of National Guard officers.

In his civilian career Noriega was Chief Executive Officer of the Ronald McDonald House Houston, a non-profit organization that offers a home away from home for critically ill children receiving treatment and care in the Texas Medical Center. Effective September, 2020, Noriega became the Chief Information Officer for Harris County, Texas, the third most populous county in the United States.[18]

• History of the Mexican-Americans in Houston

• Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate official campaign website
• Biography from the Texas House of Representatives
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Rick Noriega at Curlie
• Noriega, Rick and Jane Ely. Rick Noriega Oral History, Houston Oral History Project, May 7, 2008.
• General Officer Management Office (2013). "General Officer Biography, Richard J. Noriega". nationalguard.mil. Arlington, VA: National Guard Bureau.