2013 WOMEN OF COLOR AWARD WINNERS
largest evacuee shelters in San Antonio to be operational in less than 24 and 48 hours of notification. She received an Air Force Achievement Medal for her leadership during this time. No matter the assignment, she has exhibited excellence of character and behavior. She’s received several awards and honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster. Col. Goff also received the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with six oak leaf clusters and the Humanitarian Service Medal. Col. Goff is an inspiration for military and civilian personnel. “During college, I was egged
on by a classmate to join the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program,” she said. “Having been born into a military family, moved 7 times, and attended three high schools in three different states, I never envisioned the Air Force as my future. I was, however, enticed by the memory that I rarely saw Black women at our bases with the ‘Eagle’ rank on their shoulders and I thought it would be ‘cool.’ Well it is pretty ‘cool’ and I’m blessed the Air Force not only became my fu- ture but empowered me to achieve success. I can’t thank my family, friends and mentors enough for the role they played in this tremendous journey.”
V
alerie Poarch-Harding‘s childhood memories are filled with the times she played in the garden with her five
Valerie A. Poarch-Harding Branch Chief/Deputy Division Chief, Maint. & Property/GCSS-Army Branches Bridging Information Systems Division SEC-Lee Tactical Logistics Directorate
Proeional Achievement in Government
36 WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2013
www.womenofcolor.net
siblings while her mother fed them garden-fresh, nutritious food. Valerie’s father was the sole bread-winner. Valerie went on to graduate from Sussex Central High School and at- tend college at the Virginia State University (VSU) with the aid of the Pell Grant. Her father felt she let the family down when she got pregnant during college. Determined to keep her grades up and bring up her daughter, Poarch-Harding graduated from college in business information systems and provided for her daughter, Melodie, who is now 24 and a graduate of VSU. For over 23 years, Poarch-Harding has been employed at Fort Lee. She joined Software Engineering Cent- er–Lee (SEC LEE) as a computer specialist intern and enrolled with the Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System to improve her chances of being promoted. She earned a management information systems baccalaureate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1996. In 2000, she completed a Master of Administration degree from the Central Michigan University and did a course at Nova Southern University before completing the required calculus course to work as a computer scientist. She continued to mentor computer science interns and in 2011 was the first African American woman at SEC LEE to become a supervisory computer scientist. “I started to love and enjoy math in the fifth grade. The late Mrs. Louise Pegram was a mentor who showed me the fun and excitement in math and, in return, I did the same for my daughter who graduated with a degree in manufacturing engineering with a minor in mathematics in 2011. I didn’t let becoming pregnant in college stop my dreams. I’m grateful for my parent’s hard working principles, my daughter, and my teacher for inspiring me and helping to shape my dreams.” Apart from being actively engaged in the Disputanta, Virginia-based Loving Union Baptist Church, Poarch-Harding gives motivational speeches at elementary schools, is a volunteer with Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity organization and vice president of a Christian association called Solidarity Family Organization.
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