As Director of the Office of the President on the Chicago Campus, Mitzi Norton stays busy recruiting and managing relationships with the members of our Board of Trustees, among other duties. But that doesn’t stop Norton from saving time to be an advocate in her community.
Earlier this year, she spent many hours canvassing, phone banking, and hosting candidate meet-and-greet events to educate voters before the Illinois primary election. Last year, Norton started an Indivisible group and protested her town’s opting out of the Cook County minimum wage increase and paid-sick-leave initiatives.
“Winning the Alfred Adler Social Justice Award was so uplifting,” Norton said. “Being in the middle of the work, really in the trenches, it can be hard to see if you are really making a difference or not. When I received the award, I knew I had already made a difference and I had to keep going.”
Maria Fritz, Executive Assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs, who nominated Norton, said, “Most remarkable to me is her unwavering dedication to making whatever community she is a part of the best it can be. Mitzi is routinely the first person to volunteer to lead an initiative or offer an extra pair of hands.”
Norton encourages her fellow Adler University community members to keep fighting for social change. “There is room for everyone, and we need all hands on deck to create the change we need in our communities,” she said. “Advocating for social change is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes a certain level of dedication, fortitude, and fearlessness, but the work is so rewarding.”