Executive Women

Dr. Violette Jacobson built her career as a high-achieving marketing director in strategic business growth and culture transformation at the United States Postal Service. As a leader, Dr. Jacobson accomplished sustainable positive results through an emphasis on people. Her calm presence, professionalism and genuine care inspire others to navigate challenges with expertise and resilience. Specializing in innovative and human-centered design, Dr. Jacobson has succeeded through empowering people to achieve aspirational goals and career milestones.
Dr. Jacobson has been instrumental in the development of Postal Service Operational Excellence, an organization-wide focus on transforming tens of thousands of employees by using rigorous analytics and giving employees a stronger sense of their own accomplishments. This approach results in employees working more effectively over shorter periods of time. She has spent decades helping management understand the benefits of a more nimble workforce. When employees are more efficient, they have time to achieve stronger results faster.
Earning her doctorate degree in Human and Organizational Learning from George Washington University, Dr. Jacobson has worked directly with senior leaders of the Postal Service to convince them of the wisdom of fresh approaches to business problems. In addition, Dr. Jacobson has managed significant business partnerships between the Postal Service and the Department of Commerce, and with FedEx in the private sector.
Dr. Jacobson served on the 2024-2025 Board of Executive Women in Government (EWG) and is also active in Women in Logistics and Delivery Services. Dr. Jacobson has served as Board Chair for the No Rules Theatre Company as well as on the Board of Constellation Theatre Company.

Nichole R. Pinkney is a visionary executive leader whose distinguished NASA career spans more than three decades of service, leadership, and transformational impact. As Director of NASA’s Mission Support Headquarters and Operations Office, she has led critical agency-wide mission support and Headquarters operations initiatives, driving strategic alignment, organizational transformation, operational excellence, and workforce engagement across the agency.
Throughout her career, Nichole has been recognized for her ability to lead complex organizations through change while fostering environments rooted in collaboration, innovation, accountability, and inclusion. As a key member of NASA’s Mission Support Directorate leadership team, she has played an instrumental role in modernizing mission support services, managing operational risk, advancing Headquarters revitalization efforts, and positioning the agency to meet evolving mission demands.
As Nichole begins her transition into retirement from NASA, effective September 30, she leaves behind a legacy of service, excellence, and people-centered leadership. Her career journey reflects a remarkable progression from NASA intern to senior executive leader, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to public service and organizational advancement.
Nichole began her NASA career as an intern in the Cooperative Education Program. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1992, she served as a Contract Specialist, managing multi-million-dollar institutional and project support service contracts. Her exceptional performance and dedication earned numerous awards and recognition for outstanding contributions.

Cindy Morgan is the founder of C.O. Morgan LLC, a niche strategic consulting firm
operating in Washington, D.C. The company provides specialized consulting, program
management, and business solutions, with a primary focus on federal government
procurement, contracting strategies, and public-private partnerships. Cindy brings over
16 years of hands-on federal government experience to every client engagement —
helping agencies navigate the complexities of IT acquisitions with clarity, confidence,
and positive results.
Having worked across some of the nation's most prominent federal civil agencies —
including the Peace Corps, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, and the Federal
Aviation Administration — Cindy understands the unique challenges agencies face from
the inside out. She has served roles spanning IT Specialist and Program Manager,
Policy Analyst, Lead Contract Specialist, and Contracting Officer, giving her a rare, well-
rounded perspective on how acquisition policy and operations actually work in practice.
Through C.O. Morgan LLC, Cindy is passionate about helping federal agencies
modernize their technology through smart, strategic contracting. Whether untangling a
complex procurement challenge or aligning IT investments with broader mission goals,
she brings a thoughtful, solutions-driven approach that clients trust.
Her deep familiarity with federal acquisition frameworks — combined with her ability to
connect high-level strategy with day-to-day execution — makes C.O. Morgan LLC a
valuable partner for agencies ready to move forward with purpose.

The Honorable Tamia N. Gordon is the Founder and Executive & Leadership Coach of Pinnacle Coaching
LLC, where she partners with senior leaders to enhance clarity, performance, and strategic impact. As a Federal Executive, she served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Loan Programs Office (LPO) at the Department of Energy (DOE), which provides loans and loan guarantees to help deploy innovative energy projects in fossil fuels, hydropower, solar, and advanced transportation systems. Also at DOE as a Federal Executive, Ms. Gordon was the Director (acting) and Principal Deputy Director for the Office of Economic Impact where she advised on the effects of energy infrastructure on communities. She provided assistance to small businesses and educational institutions in the energy sector, while driving STEM initiatives and economic development, particularly in the Gulf South. She was also a member of the Credit Review Board, voting on conditional commitments of energy-sector loans.
In her prior federal service, Ms. Gordon was Deputy Vice Chairman and a Veterans Law Judge, leading a team of nearly 400 Veterans Law Judges, attorneys, and professional administrative staff dedicated to resolving Veteran appeals. For the decade prior, Ms. Gordon was the Chief Deputy Clerk of Court for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana and was appointed to the Federal Administrative Law bench. She served as the Associate Chief Administrative Law Judge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, where she successfully stood up the New Orleans Field Office in a new jurisdiction. She likewise served as Hearing Office Chief Judge for the Social Security Administration. Ms. Gordon is currently an Adjunct Business Law Professor at Tulane University School of Business. She also taught Disability Law at Loyola University’s New Orleans College of Law.
Her career began in uniform as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer and Judge Advocate. She was hand-selected to serve as a liaison to the White House Commission; she advised Headquarters Marine Corps on matters related to the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT); and, she had a high-impact litigation career as a Marine Corps prosecutor. After transitioning to career civil service, she served as Associate Deputy General Counsel in the Department of Defense, where she represented DoD’s interests in Federal habeas corpus litigation related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She was subsequently selected to support the stand-up of the U.S. Army’s Warrior Transition Command.