Sollie Norwood | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 28th district | |
| Assumed office March 4, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Alice Harden |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 5,1952 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Jackson,Mississippi |
| Alma mater | Jackson State University (BA) (MscEd) |
Sollie B. Norwood (born August 5,1952) is an American politician who has served in the Mississippi State Senate from the 28th district since 2013.
A graduate of Jackson State University,Norwood held a variety of public service and administrative roles,including serving as president of the Jackson State University Staff Senate,as a member and president of the Jackson School Board,and as director of the Division of Community Services within the Mississippi Department of Human Services. He works as a realtor.
Norwood was born in Florence,Mississippi,on August 5,1952. [1] He attended Good Hope Elementary School and McLaurin High School in Florence. [1] [2]
He graduated from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1974 and a Master's of Science in Education in guidance and counseling in 1977. [3] [4] He continued his education at the University of Mississippi,focusing on student personnel in higher education. [3]
In the early 1980s,he worked as a dormitory counselor and coordinator for Upward Bound at Jackson State University. [4] He also worked at Mississippi Power for some time. [5] In 1985,he was elected the Jackson State Staff Senate president in 1985. [6]
In the early 1990s,he was the Interim Director of the Division of Community Services for the Department of Human Services before becoming the full-time director in 1992. [7] [8] In the position,he managed four statewide programs,totaling over $20 million in state funding. [2] He concluded this role around the time he became a state senator. [9]
He has also worked as a realtor. [10]
In 1985,he ran in the special election for District 69 in the Mississippi House of Representatives to replace Fred L. Banks. [11] During the campaign,he pushed for increasing teacher pay,more benefits for the elderly,and support for small businesses. [5] Of the 9 candidates,he made it to the runoff against Alyce Clarke,a fellow political novice. [12] Clarke defeated Norwood,who secured around 40 percent of the vote. [13] He unsuccessfully challenged her again in 1987,running as an Independent. [14]
Norwood was nominated and confirmed to the Jackson School Board in 2006 by former Jackson mayor Frank Melton. [3] [15] Becoming the board president,his term on the board concluded in March 2010. [16]
In 2013,he defeated Marshand Crisler,a former Jackson councilman,in a special election runoff for District 28 in the Mississippi State Senate,a seat previously held by Alice Harden until their death. [3] He was inaugurated in March 2013. [17]
He is widowed with two children. [18] He is Baptist. [1]
He is a member of the NAACP and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity,where he has held varying levels of chapter leadership. [1] [4]
State Sen. Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson, who was a longtime administration at the Department of Human Services