Susan Norton Email and Phone Number

As chief of staff for the City of Fayetteville, Susan Norton works directly with the Mayor to implement City Council policy initiatives. Susan supervises the administrative leadership team to deliver city services, develop budgets, oversee initiatives and implement master plans. Susan researches and evaluates plans, policies and objectives and works directly with all levels of government. She serves as liaison to both federal and state legislators on a variety of municipal advocacy initiatives, including committee roles with the National League of Cities and Arkansas Municipal League. A 50 year resident of Fayetteville, Norton earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Arkansas. Currently, Norton volunteers in executive leadership roles for the nine-state MidAmerica GIS Consortium and the Arkansas Academy of Computing. Norton’s career spans 43 years in public service at varying levels of leadership at the University of Arkansas, the State of Arkansas, and the City of Fayetteville. Her career has been focused in policy and research for the advocacy of public interests. An army brat in childhood, Susan was born in the Panama Canal Zone and her family lived in Lafayette, La. and San Antonio, Texas, before settling in Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas has been home for most of her life and she shares a love of her state with family and cousins in Little Rock, Batesville, Heber Springs, and Turner, while always looking for opportunities to travel and visit other communities and cultures across the country

Responsible for city's communications strategies. Managed team of communication professionals to improve outreach and customer service through web site, social media, and media services/broadcast television. http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov

This Committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC federal policy positions on issues involving telecommunications and information systems (and public access to these systems), privacy concerns, cable TV, phone services, spectrum issues, communications tower siting, universal service, broadcasting and defense of city rights-of-way from degradation caused by installation of communications facilities.

The MidAmerica GIS Consortium, Ltd. is a nonprofit educational organization established to foster the applications of geographic information systems (GIS) and related spatial technologies in the mid-continent region.

Executive Committee, 2019-present

Connect Arkansas was a statewide broadband networking project being managed by Arkansas Capital Corporation. The project facilitated an "E-Community's"​ understanding of the value of broadband to the community's economic development and 21st century strategies for growth.

Supervised a team of 19 professionals - communication, media services and network systems - in support of 15 schools, 9000+ students, and 1200+ staff. Oversaw Sustainability Office and Sustainability Coordinator. Support District Librarians and Library Council.

Developed state IT strategic plan with all state agencies. Established the Office of Geographic Information Systems.

Managed Research Data Center, Network Information Services (local and statewide), Multimedia Resource Center at Gibson Annex (now, UA Faculty Technology Center), Classroom Automation Projects, Campus Client Services.