Press Releases

Ruth Ann Norton Honored as One of Maryland’s Top 100 Women

May 10, 2010

BALTIMORE, MD (April 13, 2010) – Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning Executive Director Ruth Ann Norton has been named as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record, Maryland’s business and legal daily newspaper.  Ms. Norton has served as Executive Director of the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning since 1993 where she is the chief strategist for public policy, program design, and development for the Coalition's Green, Healthy and Lead-Safe Homes Initiatives. 

Widely credited as the architect of Maryland’s 95% reduction in childhood lead poisoning, Ms. Norton wrote Windows of Opportunity – A Comprehensive Action Plan to Eliminate Lead Poisoning in Maryland that has helped to produce one of the best public health and housing program success stories.  During her tenure, Ms. Norton has helped to design over 20 legislative packages on the local, state and national level, to protect children from the hazards of lead. 

“Ruth Ann has been unwilling to accept that lead poisoning in Maryland is an intractable problem or that Baltimore’s children must habitually suffer from a lack of school readiness, high special education rates, and high juvenile delinquency rates due to learning disabilities and impairments caused by lead poisoning.” added Kevin W. Carter, Coalition Board President

Ms. Norton leads a team of dedicated professionals to work with 21 cities and states to create sustainable Green, Healthy and Lead Safe housing.  In 2008, Ms. Norton designed the innovative Green and Healthy Homes Initiative that is working to create a new standard for housing interventions that use public and philanthropic dollars.  This work is creating a triple net benefit of more sustainable housing, high quality green jobs and improved health outcomes for children.  Working in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Council on Foundations during the past year, Ms. Norton has helped forge commitments from multiple federal agencies that are now rapidly pursuing a Green and Healthy Homes agenda.

“Ruth Ann is motivated by a fundamental belief that business models can be incorporated into solving environmental justice and public health problems so that all children can live in homes that do not pose immediate hazards to their health.”  stated Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President, Annie E. Casey Foundation

She is a member of the Sustainability Commission of Baltimore, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader Award winner, and a Weinberg Foundation Fellow.

The Coalition is proud to have Ruth Ann recognized as one of Maryland’s 100 Top Women.  It is an honor that is well deserved.