Meet Diamond Gorman

Diamond Gorman is an award-winning entrepreneur, strategist, business consultant, and proud mother of four, who has built her legacy on empowerment, creativity, and second chances. As the founder of the REA-D Foundation, she has dedicated her life to helping youth, women, and returning citizens rise through mentorship, education, and community-driven programs.

A graduate of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) High School in Pittsburgh, Diamond is also a recording artist and songwriter whose work has been featured on national platforms like Empire and Love & Hip Hop: Live in Vegas. Her creative talents reflect the same passion she brings to her leadership roles—using her voice to uplift others.

In 2021, Diamond launched the REA-D Employment Agency, becoming the first Black woman in Virginia to own a flagging company and later the first woman to create a flagging program fully funded by the WIOA Workforce Council grant. She also became the first woman in Norfolk to successfully change industrial zoning laws, which led to the opening of REA-D Kidz Learning & Development Center—providing support to families in trade industries.

In August 2024, Diamond made a powerful decision to pause the operations of her traffic control division to return to school full-time, pursuing her Master’s in Urban Affairs at Norfolk State University. She currently studies Sociology and Early Elementary Education, with a focus on creating transformative opportunities for young Black girls in underserved communities.

Her most celebrated project, the Miss R.E.A.-D. Scholarship Pageant, blends pageantry with public speaking, service, and mentorship for girls ages 6–15. The program now runs in both Hampton, VA, and Pittsburgh, PA, and has led Diamond to become the first Black woman to partner with Hampton University as a nonprofit founder, creating a direct mentorship bridge between Pittsburgh and Hampton Roads.

Whether she’s advocating in boardrooms, mentoring in classrooms, or cheering on her own children, Diamond Gorman is living proof that with vision, purpose, and determination—Black girls really can do it all.