Christopher Norwood is a gallery owner and public affairs professional. Add a new credential to his resume: Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins appointed him to her administration, as Special Advisor on Community Prosperity.
“Miami’s future prosperity must be rooted in its neighborhoods,” Norwood, 53, said in an email. “My focus is on strengthening small businesses, expanding economic opportunity, supporting arts and culture as drivers of community vitality and economic development.”
He said he’ll do that by “working with our churches, schools, and heritage-based communities as anchors for growth, and building durable partnerships across Miami’s communities. … By aligning public policy with community leadership, we can build a stronger, more inclusive Miami.”
Norwood has lived in town for 27 years and may be familiar to Miami Lakers.
He graduated from St. Thomas College of Law and said he chose the school because he was a fan of then-Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.
He remains a season ticket holder to the team.
“The St. Thomas campus is holy ground because it was the practice field for the perfect team,” he said. A self-described super fan, he said he’s been to every Dolphins game played abroad, too.
Norwood was on the executive board of the South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts, which used to be in Miami Lakes.
He has volunteered as chair of the Youth Activities Task Force and launched the Movies in the Park event.
He was also a member of the board of the Optimist Club, served as its basketball commissioner and was a coach.
Since 2018, Norwood is the founder and curator of Hampton Art Lovers and a steward of the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.
In 2021, he loaned nine artworks from the gallery by renowned artists to display in Town Hall during Black History Month.
In addition to his law degree, Norwood said he has a degree in social work and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cornell University.
He previously served on the Human Services Coalition with Daniella Levine Cava, before she became a county commissioner and mayor.
Originally from Newark, N.J., Norwood said the natural beauty of Miami Lakes prompted him to move to town. He lives on the west side.
“It’s all about the trees and the winding roads,” Norwood said. “When I first moved to South Florida, nowhere else had trees and it was all straight lines.”