NEWS |
142-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , October 19, 2000
As Supervisor of Reproduction Services, Mrs. Norwood has the critical job of running the Port Authority's print shop. Reproduction Services, a unit of the Corporate Communications Department, produces five million pieces of printed material a year for Port Authority projects and programs.
The job has recently become even more challenging. The Port Authority is trying to provide customers with updates on a growing list of projects and issues - including the AirTrain project, the opening of new E-ZPass lanes at Port Authority bridges and tunnels, and tips for travelers who plan to use the region's airports during the upcoming holiday season.
Mrs. Norwood stands out not just because she excels in a difficult, pressure-filled job. She holds a position in a field traditionally dominated by men.
"It is extremely unusual for a woman to work 'on the floor' in a major print shop, let alone run one," said Carolyne Bowers, the Port Authority's Director of Corporate Communications, which oversees the print shop. "Debbie is one of our most valued employees. She is a role model for working women who aspire to a career in the print field." Ms. Bowers noted that Mrs. Norwood supervises a staff of 19.
A stroke of luck helped Mrs. Norwood launch her Port Authority career 21 years ago.
In her senior year at Francis Lewis High School in Flushing, Queens in 1979, Mrs. Norwood won a lottery for summer jobs at the Port Authority. At the end of the summer, she joined the agency as a clerk in the Medical Services Department.
Mrs. Norwood got her first experience with document reproduction when she was assigned a two-year project to transfer all of the agency's Medical Services records to microfiche.
After completing that assignment, Mrs. Norwood took a job in the agency's mailroom and in 1982 took her first job in the print shop.
Mrs. Norwood gradually moved up through the ranks and soon became a model for women interested in careers in the print shop. She was the first female to work "on the floor" in the print shop, operating the collating machines and the printing press. In 1990, Mrs. Norwood was named an assistant supervisor in charge of all Port Authority printing, and in 1998 she was promoted to head the unit.
As supervisor of the print shop, Mrs. Norwood continues to play a hands-on role. She can usually be found on the print shop floor, assisting her staff with a printing order, or helping them fix a machine.
Away from the job, Mrs. Norwood is extremely active in her community of Far Rockaway, Queens. She helped organize a group called BMW Productions, which seeks to help community youngsters by sponsoring ski trips, picnics, plays and other activities.
The program's goal is to encourage children to be productive members of society, to continue to go to school, and to stay out of trouble, Mrs. Norwood said. She also is actively involved in a prison ministry, helping to educate men and women who have been incarcerated for various crimes.
Mrs. Norwood and her husband, Victor, have two children, Victor and Tiffany.