NORWOOD
CONSULTING
Community Development can be achieved when organizations are focused on delivering quality services through strategic planning and efficient service delivery. Community Development is also achieved when organizations are coordinating services with school districts, government and other non-profits, and are committed to public policy advocacy to create systemic change. We engage our clients to develop a mutually agreed upon focus of work and desired outcomes. We assess their strengths and limitations to develop intervention goals. We intervene and initiate actions to achieve organizational goals and facilitate transitions and endings. We evaluate to critically analyze, monitor and determine levels of success.
11.20.11 - Florida Department of Educuation. Norwood Consulting's "Governance Institute for School Accountability" is an approved Charter School GovernnaceTraining Plan. Charter Schools Board Members are mandated by the State of Florida to complete a governance training yearly.
08.12.11 - Miami Times. The Breakfast Round Table recognized as "venue for information exchange that is vital for community to grow". Norwood serves as the lead organizer along with co-organizers Karen Andre, Gary Johnson, Henry Crespo and the late Haneef Hamudullah.
08.04.11 - Miami Dade Public Schools. Comcast offers internet service for $9.95 to families in public schools enrolled in the National Free Lunch Program.
07.15.11 - Miami Dade School Board MBE Advisory Board. School Board Member Diaz De La Portilla appoints Norwood to M/WBE Advisory Board to advocate for local and minority owned businesses.
05.19.11 - Miami Dade Public Schools Final Legislative Update. Tallahassee reduced education funding at record numbers.
12.22.10 - Knight Foundation Study on College Access and Success System. Analysis of Philadelphia and Miami's College Access and Success Supports.
11.01.10 - Princeton Prize for Race Relations. Norwood selected to serve on South Florida Selection Committee.
10.29.10 - College Summit Florida Client receives $50,000 donation from Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Financial. College Summit Peer Leader (Warren Coley) receives $5,000 College Scholarship.
08.10.10 - The Childrens Movement of Florida Kicks off statewide non-partisan campaign to make the education and wellbeing of children Florida's highest priority.
05.04.10 - United Way of Broward County Awards three-year grant to "Sunland Park Early Achievers", this new innovative project was created by: Community Based Connections, Norwood Consulting, Inc. and Youth Empowerment for a Better Tomorrow (YEBT). "Sunland Park Early Achievers" is an early learning initiative that will service the Sunland Park community with a focus on Sunland Park Elementary, Child Care Centers, OIC and Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority.
05.09.10 - Obama Administration's Promise Neighborhoods Program.
04.25.10 - Miami Children's Initiative Strategic Plan presented to Miami Dade County Commission.
02.26.08 - Florida Attorney General Office
Norwood nominated by Florida's Secretary of Juvenile Justice Frank Peterman to be Chair of the Florida Council on Social Status of Black Men and Boys.
2008- South Florida TImes Newspaper
Norwood addresses the need for Foster Parenting recruitment in the African American community.
08 .08.08 - South Florida Times Newspaper
Discusses the importance of literacy and youth devlopment in Miami Garedens
12.30.08 - Black PR Wire
Miamis Magic City Childrens Zone to Learn from Orlando's Parramore Kidz Zone
2008 - Florida Coalition of Children "Kids Briefs"
Recognition for leading statewide organization to address youth issues
08 .06.09 - College Summit Institute (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Norwood conducts workshop on "Collaboration and Community Organization for Effective Outreach and Policy Advocacy"
2006 - Miami New TImes
Norwood as Chair of the Miam Lakes Youth Activites Task Force creates Break Dancing Competition for the town's youth. Dr. Peterson, Director of Education teaches the Hip Hop Elements during Competition.
09 .06.09 - 19th Annual Leadership Conference for Minority Administrators
Norwood speak in Mississippi on Public Education and African American Males.
2004 - NY Newsday and Baltimore Sun
Interview with Norwood about the Global Reach of Hip Hip. The Story was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting by Glenn Gamboa.
2004 - Gannet News Service
Miami Beach Black Host Committee conducts workshop on Hip Hop with Law Enforcement in Miami Beach. Organized in conjunction with Norwood and Dr. James Peterson (who also conducted a workshop on "Police in the Media").
12.20.11 - Miami Dade Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials presents "Holiday Unity (UMOJA) Breakfast", Guest Speaker: Dr. Henry Lewis, President of Florida Memorial University. Where: Jackson Soul Food Restaurant _ 950 NW 3rd Ave, Miami Florida. When: 8:30 am. Cost: Free to Members and $20 for Non-members.
10.21.11 - The Miami-Dade Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (MDBC-LEO) cordially invites you to the Installation of Officers and Membership Reception to be held on Friday, October 21, 2011, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Hosted by Becker & Poliakoff, P.A. at 121 Alhambra Plaza (10th Floor) Coral Gables, FL 33134. See Invite and Sponsorships Docs Here
We look forward to seeing each and everyone of our over fifty Miami-Dade Black elected officials at the installation and reception. We promise good food, great jazz and the company of people who really make a difference in our communities.
10.19.11 - Come join The Breakfast Round Table as we break bread with Karen Aronowitz, President of United Teachers of Dade. All are welcome for this free informal disucssion. Come have breakfast, a cup of coffee or just come as you are.
09.21.11 - Come join The Breakfast Roundtable as we break bread with Carlos Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System. All are welcome for this free informal discussion. Come have breakfast, a cup of coffee or just come as you are.
08.17.11 - Come join The Breakfast Roundtable as we break bread with Jacqui Colyer, Southern Regional Director of the Department of Children and Families (DCF). All are welcome for this free informal discussion. Come have breakfast, a cup of coffee or just come as you are.
07.20.11 - Come join The Breakfast Roundtable as we break bread with Penelope "Penny" Townsley, Director of Small Business Development for Miami Dade County. All are welcome for this free informal discussion. Come have breakfast, a cup of coffee or just come as you are.
05.26.11 - The “Who’s-Who” in South Florida will fill the room on May 26, 2011 at the inaugural Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) “Distinguished Young Leader” Awards. This highly anticipated event will be held at the fabulous Epic Hotel in Biscayne Bay. The event will feature a strolling supper and reception that will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by an awards program at 7:30 p.m
12.15.10 - Come join The Breakfast Roundtable for a discussion with Bill Talbert, CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau _ Jackson Soul Food _ 950 NW 3rd Ave, Miami Florida. Tourism is the #1 Industrry in Miami, come and learn more about what drives our local economy. RSVP here.
06.08.10 - Miami Dade Public Schools Student Services Advisory Committee _ 9:30 a.m. at the South Florida Educational Federal Credit Union, 1498 NE 2nd Ave, 2nd Floor Conference Room.
06.01.10 - The 20th Annual Leadership Conference for Minority Administrators and 9th Annual Southern Regional Minority Leadership Conference (Mississippi). Norwood to present workshop on Model Programs in Community Development in Florida.
06.03.10 - South Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America 2010 Whitney Young Distinguished Citizen Awards Luncheon. Norwood presents award to two outstanding community leaders, Al Dotson - National Chairman of 100 Black Men of America and Sen. Frederica Wilson - Founder of 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
Principal
Our team is led by Christopher Norwood, Principal of Norwood Consulting. Mr. Norwood has 15 years experience working with Human Service Agencies as , Consultant, Board Member, Employee and Volunteer. He is a graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia where he studied Social Work & Community Organization (1995). Mr. Norwood pursued a Masters of Public Administration at Cornell University's Institute for Public Affairs (1995-1997) and his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law (2002).
Mr. Norwood is a community organizer, passionately involved but strategically focused. His network ranges across the spectrum of human services. His involvement is particularly strong in Children's Issues and Development. He is an Adjunct Professor at Florida Memorial University and founding Board Member of Florida Memorial University's Social Work Program. He is an adjunct at Miami Dade College's School of Justice. Mr. Norwood is the Past Chair of the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (Appointed by Former Speaker Marco Rubio of the Florida House of Representatives in 2007)
Director of Education :
James Braxton Peterson, PhD is the Director of Africana Studies and Assistant Professor of English at Lehigh University. He has been a visiting lecturer and preceptor in African American Studies at Princeton University and was the founding Media Coordinator for the Harvard University Hip Hop Archive. He is also the founder of Hip Hop Scholars, LLC, an association of Hip Hop generational scholars dedicated to researching and developing the cultural and educational potential of Hip Hop, urban, and youth cultures.
Dr. Peterson has written numerous scholarly articles on Hip Hop Culture, African American Literature, Culture, and Linguistics as well as Urban Studies. He has conducted interviews with Gil Scott Heron, Dr. Manning Marable, Sistah Souljah, Snoop Dogg, Dead Prez, DJ Jazzy Jeff and generally applies his journalistic skills and his ethnographic training toward innovative academic inquiry. Dr. Peterson has been featured on/in BET and Bet.com, The Michael Eric Dyson Show, Hot 97s Street Soldiers, The Michael Baisden Show, and the award-winning PBS documentary, Beyond Beats and Rhymes. He has appeared on Fox News, CBS News, MSNBC, ABC News, ESPN, HLN, and various local television networks as an expert on Hip Hop culture, popular culture, urban youth and politics. He has published his scholarly work in Callaloo, Black Arts Quarterly, XXL, and African American Review. Peterson is currently working on his first book, Major Figures: Literary Approaches to Hip Hop Culture (Mississippi University Press). He has also been featured and/or quoted in Vibe Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Southern Voices and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, speech clips and media appearances, go to: www.youtube.com/user/DrJamesPeterson
Legal Counsel
Matthew Dibrino, Esq is an exerienced trial attorney focusing on Family and Child Welfare Advocacy. Matthew also represents community based organizations seeking government and public policy reform. He is a graduate of Montclair State University and Rutgers-Newark Law School. Licensed to practice in Florida and New Jersey.
Current and Past Clients (Partial List)
Purell & GOJO Industries
Clinical Resources, LLC
Waste Services Inc.
Miami Dade Black Caucus of Black Elected Officials (MDBC-LEO)
Maefield Development
Institute for Student Achievement
College Summit
The Childrens Trust of Miami Dade
University of Miami, School of Law
Special Asset Support Services, Inc.
Rocket Learning
The Source (Magazine) Youth Foundation Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
NAACP Youth Power Summit
Virginia Key Beach Trust
Youth Expressions
Ocean Star Shipping
Ounce of Prevention Fund
Miami Children's Initiative
Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties
Florida Public School Choice Consortium Florida Memorial University
West Perrine CDC
Founded in 2002 as a resource for public, private and non-profit institutions engaged in community building. Offering services to support non-profit management, governance training, program design, community advocacy and public policy analysis.
Our Vision
We believe community organization is the means by which people are brought together to address problematic social conditions. Our company is rooted in the reform tradition of professional social work and values such as self-determination, self-sufficiency and empowerment drives our vision of community development.
Communities rely on organizations to provide a powerful collective voice to influence government policies to realize a shared vision of a better future for all.
Norwood Consulting specializes in Policy Analysis to encourage organizations to create change through policy advocacy. Our team includes legally trained human service professionals. Christopher Norwood (Juris Doctor) has designed legislation and advocated successfully for private companies, educational reform, reforms in foster care, early learning programs, voting rights issues, prevention programs, gun control, and anti-bullying policies.
Dr. James Peterson, Director of Education for Norwood Consulting and Professor of English and Director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University is a Huffington Post blogger and frequent commentator on policy issues on MSNBC, FOX, CNN and other news networks. His commentary is highly sought and can view: www.youtube.com/user/DrJamesPeterson
All organizations including nonprofits have a vital role to play in our democracy. For 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that role includes lobbying. Nonprofits have every right to advocate on behalf of policies they believe in. It is only when this advocacy deals with specific legislation that limits come into play.
Although most people use the words interchangeably, there is a distinction between advocacy and lobbying that is helpful to understand. When nonprofit organizations advocate on their own behalf, they seek to affect some aspect of society, whether they appeal to individuals about their behavior, employers about their rules, or the government about its laws.
Lobbying refers specifically to advocacy efforts that attempt to influence legislation. This distinction is helpful to keep in mind because it means that laws limiting the lobbying done by nonprofit organizations do not govern other advocacy activities.
Community partnerships are important components to any public service organization or agency. We create strategic partnerships for our clients to further organizational goals.
At their core, community partnerships are about the tremendous power created when organizations and individuals come together to act proactively on important issues in their towns, schools, or neighborhoods.
Almost all long-term, sustainable community solutions from building healthy neighborhoods to expanding the scope and efficiency of public services demand dynamic partnerships among a variety of
governmental agencies, faith-based groups, and civic organizations. It is not a function of government alone. While local agencies may have the resources and the authority for delivering services broadly, public service organizations are uniquely suited to assess community needs and to identify potential solutions.
Being able to communicate and collaborate with a broad range of organizations, agencies, and individuals in a community creates shared understanding, allows for the identification and realization of common goals, opens new avenues for collaborative
partnerships, and expands community decision-making from a handful of central authorities to a broad number of stakeholders.
This idea is by no means new. Numerous communities across the country have launched collaborative initiatives to address needs within their cities, regions, and neighborhoods. In the process, they have torn down outmoded structures and redefined the relationships between community-service organizations,
churches, governmental agencies, and the private sector to strengthen neighborhoods or address important civic issues.
In most cases, these campaigns grew out of a realization by nonprofit organizations that they had become too consumed by day-to-day priorities to take notice of the broader, longterm issues facing their communities. Many complained of feeling as if they were operating in their own separate universe, devoid of interaction with other
organizations, groups, or government
agencies that may have shared their
concerns and ambitions.
As a result, few engaged in the long-term planning or strategic thinking necessary to improve public services and meet future needs. On a more specific level, organizations also began to recognize that communicating with like-minded organizations had the additional benefits of extending their own projects reach and promoting greater public understanding of their missions and goals.
We guide our clients to effective program management techniques. There are at least five different common approaches to developing a new nonprofit program. Some approaches seem to start out slow and soon stop altogether. Other approaches start out fast and then end in a flurry of confusion. Still, other approaches start out carefully and go on to make a huge difference for their clients. The approach an organization uses depends on various factors.
a) The nature and complexity of the organizations programs and services. For example, the process to develop a program that provides mental health services would probably be more complex than the process to develop a program that provides a food shelf to low-income families.
b) The resources and stability of the overall organization. For example, if the organization has been in operation for several years and its current
programs have been using the same processes and procedures over those years, the organization probably has more accurate and reliable processes from which to design new or related programs. On the other hand, if the organization is relatively new, it likely has limited expertise and resources from which to design programs.
c) The extent of program development expertise in the organization. It is not surprising to find that many nonprofit leaders have little, if any, formal training in
developing programs. There have been few comprehensive resources in this regard. Many nonprofits have resorted simply to doing whatever seems reasonable for the day, while collecting as many resources as possible and hoping that they will be useful.
Following are descriptions of five common approaches to developing nonprofit programs:
Build It and They Will Come Approach
This approach is common to new nonprofit organizations, especially if their founder is rather inexperienced in program development, in conducting marketing analysis, and/or has a strong passion even an obsession about meeting a perceived need in the community. In these situations, the founder believes that there is an unmet need in the community. He bases his belief almost entirely on his own perception, even though there is sometimes no verified evidence of a strong unmet need.
Seat - of - the - Pants Approach
This approach is common to many new nonprofit organizations, especially if their founders are rather inexperienced in organizational development and management. In these situations, the nonprofit organization and its primary program are so highly integrated that it is difficult to discern what resources go directly into providing services to clients versus those resources needed to run the entire organization. The seat-of-the-pants program development process usually parallels the development of the organization itself.
Business Planning Approach
There are a variety of views, formats and content regarding business plans. Usually, a business plan includes careful analysis of: a) a major unmet need in the community, b) program method(s) to meet the need, c) how the community and nonprofit can engage in a productive, ongoing relationship where the nonprofit program continues to meet the community need and the community, in turn, returns sufficient value to the nonprofit. d) how the program methods can be implemented and managed and, e) what the costs are to build and implement the program methods.
Business plans are essentially the same as a well-written fundraising proposal; thus, it might be said that the more you use a business-planning approach in your program development, the more probable it is that you will get funds from donors. Particularly in the for-profit world, bankers and other investors often require a business plan because the plan includes a careful look at all aspects of a project.
Business Development Approach
A new trend in nonprofit program planning is focus on nonprofit business development, which might take program planning to an even higher level of quality than that done in business planning. Note that nonprofit business development includes the business planning process so, technically, it is not a completely different alternative to business planning. However, business development usually includes more upfront, rigorous examination for numerous opportunities to provide products and services among a variety of stakeholders to generate revenue and still work toward the mission of the organization. Business development often helps groups of clients identify new needs that they did not even realize, whereas processes that start right away with business planning are based on one currently known, particular need among clients without rigorous analysis for many other opportunities. Norwood Consulting's clients are guided towards the Business Development Approach. This model yields the best results and it positions organizations for sustainability.
Miami Dade County Public Schools Student Services Advisory Board (Chairman)
Miami Dade County Public Schools
M/WBE Advisory Board
Charlee Homes For Children
(Board Member)
South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Executive Board)
Florida Memorial University's
Social Work Program Advisory Board (Founding Board Member)
Our Little Ones Head Start Learning Center (Board Member)
Youth Empowerment for a Better Tomorrow (Board Member)
Youth Expressions (Former Member)
Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men & Boys (Former Member & Past Chairman)
As the Chairman of the Council on the Social Status on Black Men and Boys Norwood and the Council traveled the State of Florida (Jacksonvillle, Orlando, Tampa, Panama City, Tallahassee, Miami), listening to the people of Florida. The Council is charged by the State Legislature to provide annual recommendations to the State on reducing the high rates of unemployment, incarceration, low educational outcomes and other factors affecting Black Men.
Norwood garnered the collaborative support of the David Achin Center at The University of South Florida to assist council in the writing of the 2008 report . It was truly a service project and comprehensive in its scope, with REAL solutions to problems affecting Florida's Black Males. Please review the report for a broad overview of the barriers to success to Black Male achievement and model programs to replicate.
Community Service is vital to our organization and defines who we are and what we do professionally. Norwood Consulting has been for over ten years a committed corporate citizen.
"I give back in many ways. But the most important way in which I give back is by 'not giving back' at all. I benefit just as much, if not more than those receiving. To utter the words 'give back' has a tone that people less fortunate are somehow 'different from other people'. I refuse to accept that premise. I simply do what I am compelled to do because I need to . ", states Christopher Norwood, Principal of Norwood Consulting, Inc.
The Norwood Consulting Group is a State of Florida (DOE) Approved Non-Profit Governance Trainer ( see here ). To lead a nonprofit organization in today'’s difficult economic environment has become increasingly complex. Effective governance skills are absolutely essential and board members must be thoughtful and engaged big picture leaders. Nonprofit board members and organization management should be competent in key areas of governance for:
1) Maintaining board level strategic focus
2) Establishing and maintaining governance committees
3) Understanding legal and financial responsibilities
4) Policies and procedures for effective board operation
5) Resource development and image building
6) Understanding how to work with senior executives and management teams
The Governance Institute for School Accountability
The Norwood Consulting Group has a specially designed training for Florida charter schools. We offer an innovative charter school board governance training, entitled "The Governance Institute for School Accountability".
Florida Statutes Section 1002.33(9)(j)4, requires the governing board of a charter school to participate in governance training approved by the Department of Education which must include government in the sunshine, conflicts of interest, ethics, and financial responsibility.
Training Overview: The Governance Institute for School Accountability is a simple and innovative governance training for charter school boards. It is designed to empower charter school board members with culturally competent tools needed to adopt policies focused on school accountability for student success. The Governance Institute for School Accountability’'s primary goal is to have efficient, knowledgeable, and high-functioning charter school governing boards so charter school leaders can focus more time on students and school performance. The lead trainer is a Juris Doctorate and Professor (Adjunct) of Government, Law and Public Administration at Florida Memorial University with fifteen years experience of Effective Governance Board Leadership, Non-Profit Management, Community Development and Public Policy Advocacy.
Each charter school governing board is responsible for:
1) Negotiating the school’s charter agreement with its sponsor;
2) Exercising continuing oversight over the school’s operations;
3) Adopting and maintaining an annual operating budget;
4) Ensuring that annual audits are conducted;
5) Submitting monthly financial statements to the sponsor and implementing corrective
actions to remedy financial instability; and
6) Submitting the school’s annual progress report to the sponsor.
Members must complete a minimum of four hours of initial training and a two hour refresher course at least once every three years thereafter. We recommend that board members receive a yearly training.
florida-constitution.pdf
08-11-04-home_rule_charter.pdf
MDBC-LEO Membership Application.pdf
Black Elected Officals List.pdf
MDBC-LEO Installation Reception Sponsorship.pdf
GISA Training Brochure.pdf
