The Campus Advantage: Higher Education Partnerships for Business Growth

Join NAWBO Houston for a practical session with Dr. Yolanda Norman, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Normal Global. She has spent more than 20 years building partnerships between universities and companies. Dr. Norman will show business owners how to use higher education as a growth engine, not just a recruiting stop. About the Speaker Dr. Yolanda Norman is a proud first-generation college graduate and the Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Normal Global, a technical consulting and infrastructure solutions firm. The firm specializes in geospatial intelligence, engineering support, drafting, drone operations, and damage prevention in the energy industry. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, infrastructure, and workforce development. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and organizational leadership. She has held key roles at Vanderbilt University, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Houston, TEX-E, HISD, and the University of St. Thomas. In those roles she built high-impact partnerships connecting faculty, staff, and students with corporate and community organizations. Dr. Norman holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and two master’s degrees (sports administration & management, and college student counseling & personnel services) from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also holds a doctorate in ethical leadership from the University of St. Thomas–Houston. She serves on several boards and volunteers actively in the Houston community.