Volunteer Noelle Pina

Noelle currently serves as Chief of Staff of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. The 14th generation Bahamian entered the United States as a first-generation F-1 visa International Student at Florida Southern College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations. She then completed the Integrated Marketing Communications Master of Science program at West Virginia University.

She was introduced to local grantmaking while serving as the Executive Director of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce. “Every year, I eagerly anticipated receiving the applications from Nauset Regional High School to review the stellar academic and work careers of their seniors and distribute grants for their college careers.”

The Women and Girls Fund was a new experience for Noelle. “As an immigrant, I am hypersensitive to socioeconomic issues that affect women who have moved in search of better opportunities only to find out that the path is more difficult than they anticipated. I had a leg up, with U.S.-based college degrees, the connection of my husband’s welcoming family, and a guaranteed career network attained through marriage. During the initial presentation of The Women and Girls Fund research, I was saddened—but not surprised—to hear the stories given by brave women who really put themselves out there publicly to share what’s holding them back from achieving their personal goals. Many of the reasons given I could relate to, so I wanted to ensure as many immigrant-experienced voices as possible sat on the committees attached to the Fund and was honored to be asked. Along with being an immigrant, I spent more than half my life living in an African diaspora, colonized country, so I view issues through a lens not shared by many on Cape Cod.”

Noelle said the opportunity to “expand my network to include the other strong, high-powered women on the Grants Committee and at the Foundation is a continuous highlight. Every call and meeting were full of opinions, which were all directly given and respected by the group upon receipt. I loved every moment of our dialog. Call me for the next round!”