As a woman starting out in the early 1990s in a male-dominated field, Kelly Norwood has had both supporters as well as obstacles in building her career as an environmental leader.
“I remember one time I was sent out in the field with this guy who was for some reason very angry about having to work with a woman. He did everything he could to challenge me. He’d make me do all the most physical aspects of the job, like carrying two five-gallon buckets of water between a well and where we stored the water in a drum,” she said. “I was not going to let that stop me, so I just did it. I had to be really strong, so I got strong. I got it done.”
Not only did this example demonstrate Norwood’s fortitude but was an early glimpse at her ability to turn a difficult situation into an opportunity in her career.
“I went to the supervisor and told him that instead of sending two people and two salaries to do a job, I proved I could do it all myself. Instead of sending two people for a few days, he could send me for a week and save a lot of money. From then on, I didn’t have to work with that guy,” she said. “You’ve got to have a work-around.”
That experience occurred in Norwood’s first job with a private environmental firm after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in geology.
“Out of college, I left Knoxville and moved to Atlanta. I joined the Atlanta Geological Society to do some networking and was looking at environmental work. I applied for five jobs before I was first hired. I also learned that you sound smarter after every interview, you learn things, pick up on the lingo and take that with you,” she said. “Ultimately, I was hired for $6.50 an hour to do everything that my counterparts were doing at a bigger salary.”
Norwood said the experience prepared her for what was ahead.
“Back then, every place that I worked, I was always the only woman in a technical position working there,” she said. “These days, a lot of people are doing really well as women in the profession, and there have been men in leadership positions who have been very supportive and encouraging, but there have been issues along the way.”
Norwood eventually moved from the private sector to a regulator role with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in 2001, then began working at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico as a geologist and water quality program manager in 2014. Since 2020, she’s served as an Environmental Support Manager with the U.S. Army Environmental Command.
“Like anything that’s new, you just hold your nose and jump in. There’s no other way for me to do it. If you drag your feet, you’ll never get it done,” she said of her varied career path. “I just plow through snow and get to where I’m going.”
Norwood also says that recognizing and seizing opportunities to improve her skills and knowledge have been a key to her professional growth
“I’ve tried to take advantage of all the opportunities I’ve seen,” she said, adding that she offers the same advice to anyone now entering the field. “If you are offered leadership classes, jump on that. If someone offers to mentor you, jump on that. Travel as much as you can and don’t just stick to one thing, be open to growth. Be open to learning more and to building your skills and knowledge.”
Norwood said that armed with her training and background, she’s gained confidence needed to be an effective leader.
“I’ve worked in government from local to state to federal and also in private industry, I’ve had a very diverse background and done a lot of things.” “I’ve been threatened by thugs while working in bad city neighborhoods, I’ve been threatened by irate construction workers when I took them to court for breaking erosion laws, I’ve been cursed at for denying compliance to landfill owners, and I had one co-worker tell me I don’t have what it takes,” she said. “Nobody scares me, I’m not afraid to do what is necessary for my job because of all the crazy experiences I’ve had.”
Beyond confidence, Norwood credits her past experiences with giving her the empathy necessary for success. For example, she’s worked at an Army installation in the Environmental Division, so she understands the roles she supports as an USAEC Environmental Support Manager. And based on her work as a regulator in Georgia, she also understands the roles of state and federal regulators,
“When you are dealing with regulators, you have to know they are trying to do their job, trying to work. You’re going to have some challenges dealing with that, but it’s important that we focus on how we can work together,” she said. “To build trust by being transparent, you may have to work a little harder. But those relationships need to be in place to move forward at all, otherwise the installations work could really be held up. That can’t happen.”
Norwood also has navigated a career while maintaining the life balance she’s needed to raise her daughter, now an active 17-year-old.
“My kid always comes first, and then my job comes second, before anything else,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate to balance things in my career and personal life the way I want to.”
Social Sharing