Rick Noble

Rick Noble is the Chair of the Board of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation for 2009-2010.  He brings to the organization a wealth of knowledge about non-profit issues and water issues.  Currently, he is the CEO and Executive Director of Richland County First Steps in Columbia, South Carolina, whose mission is “to enable families to assist their children to enter first grade healthy and ready to learn.”  He is the immediate past Chair of the Lake Wateree Homeowners Association.  He has been the founding CEO/Executive Director of a number of new non profits, as well as founding Chair/Board member of a number of other non-profits. 

Prior to his current position, Rick was Director of Development for Midlands Technical College where he was responsible for grants development, alumni relations, and the work of the Midlands Technical College Foundation. Prior to accepting the Midlands Tech position, he and his wife Lynne spent 1996-97 engaged in peace and reconciliation work in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the founding executive director of Cities in Schools-Columbia, Inc. serving from 1987 until 1996. Educated at the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia, he began his career, in 1971, as the President of Madison House, Inc. Madison House, a private, non-profit organization, continues today, almost 40 years since its founding, to coordinate University of Virginia student volunteers in a variety of community service programs (big brother/big sister, tutoring, housing rehab, etc.) to benefit the Charlottesville community.

When Rick began his tenure at Madison House the new organization was coordinating about 200 students in five different volunteer/work experiences. When Rick left eight years later, Madison House boasted programs that employed over 1,000 students in 20 different settings.  In 1990, Madison House celebrated its 20th anniversary, and was designated as a Point of Light by President Bush.  The development of these opportunities for students to gain real life experiences as well as provide much needed services to the community gave him significant insight into the potential for bringing resources together to achieve stated goals and meet community needs.  It was here that he began to utilize his skills, creative abilities, personal initiative and motivation to provide leadersh*p to organizations that address quality of life issues in the community.  This position was the springboard for all Rick has done since, both professionally and personally.

Moving to South Carolina in 1979, Rick sought new opportunities to hone his skills and continue his service to the community.  He worked for a brief time with the Kitani Foundation as Director of Planning and Development.  During six years as an Account Executive at Southern Bell, AT&T, and ASYNC, Rick continued to develop skills in needs assessment, and in resource development to meet those needs, this time in the corporate world. He was the founding executive director of Cities In Schools-Columbia which allowed him to organize, network, market, and promote a community response to the problems of at-risk students - one that emphasizes the coordinated, holistic delivery of services to all youth.

On a personal level, Rick continues to be involved in humanitarian efforts "to maximize the impact and control individuals have over their own lives, by increasing the number and quality of choices they have to make." Dubbing himself a SOCIAL ARCHITECT, he is involved in non-profit leadership, management, marketing, development, and advocacy activities. His current involvement includes membership in/work with: the Carolina Marathon, SCANPO (South Carolina Association of Non Profit Organizations), City Year, Children’s Chance, Columbia Pastoral Counseling Center, Irish Children’s Summer Program, Leadership Columbia Alumni Association, Columbia Rotary Club and Shandon Presbyterian Church.

Rick is married to Lynne S. Noble, Ed.D Professor of Education at Columbia College and a consultant in the fields of early childhood, human development, and child welfare. They have formed NVP, Noble Ventures Partnership, to enable them to share their skills/gifts with others. They have two grown children, Sarah Grey Noble Deal, a 1993 graduate of the University of Virginia who works and resides near Winston Salem, North Carolina and George Hayes Noble, a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina, and 2002 graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and currently Associate Pastor Minister for Youth and Families at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia SC. Grandchildren include Margo Mills Deal (age 4.5) and Grey Hobson Deal (age 3) and Kris Daniel (age 17). The Nobles have been foster parents to more than 35 youngsters since 1972 and hosted/welcomed others including foreign exchange students and visitors. 

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