Ruth Ann Norton
Fireside #2 Speaker
Ruth Ann Norton, President & CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, joined the organization in 1993 and has led its development into one of the nation’s most effective and foremost authorities on healthy housing and its impact on the social determinants of health and racial equity. One of the nation’s foremost experts on effective lead poisoning prevention programs and strategies to address the intersecting crises of unhealthy housing and climate in historically disinvested neighborhoods. In 2022, Ms. Norton is once again, leading groundbreaking efforts to align climate dollars, healthcare dollars and federal dollars to bring to restorative justice, health and opportunities through healthy housing to low wealth communities. As GHHI’s President and CEO, she directs its national strategy and policy framework to advance housing as a platform for improved health, economic, educational and social outcomes for low-income communities.
Ms. Norton has been at the forefront in building the business case for healthcare investments in healthy, safe and climate friendly housing. Powered by the findings from two studies she led with support from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, she has led the development of many of the nation’s largest healthcare investments in healthy housing including the nation’s only healthy housing program fully funded by Medicaid Saving as well as the largest hospital program focused eradicating the toxic legacy of lead.
Noted as the architect and lead implementer of the State of Maryland’s 99% reduction in childhood lead poisoning, which has returned over $44.5 billion back to the Maryland economy, Ms. Norton, continues her work across the nation to align de-leading efforts with investments to create holistically healthy homes as a pathway to opportunity. Through these efforts, Ms. Norton has developed over 45 pieces of adopted legislative actions that serve as national best practices and led to the creation of federal funding ac
As part of her leadership on the non-energy benefits of energy efficiency, she is a leading voice in articulating the significant health, social and climate benefits of weatherization investments. She is a member of EEFA and has authored several publications on energy equity including the recent Leading with Equity and Justice in the Clean Energy Transition. Ms. Norton is also currently spearheading GHHI’s work in the development and implementation of decarbonization, electrification and climate change mitigation services for low income households. She lead the organization’s partnership with DOE and NASCSP on the WAP Weatherization Plus Health national initiative to improve safe practices and foster the greater integration of weatherization and healthy homes interventions. In 2010, she drafted the Identified Barriers and Opportunities to Make Housing Green and Healthy Through Weatherization Report for the White House that highlighted the need to reduce WAP Program deferral rates and detailed the opportunities for greater cross sector collaboration.
Ms. Norton serves as a member of: the EPA Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH), the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ National Advisory Group, the Ohio Asthma Council and is Chair of the Maryland Lead Poisoning Prevention Commission. She was previously a federally appointed liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention.
Ms. Norton is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader, a Weinberg Foundation Fellow, a WE ACT Environmental and Social Justice awardee, and received the Tony Woods Award for Excellence from the Building Performance Industry in 2016 for her efforts to integrate energy efficiency upgrades with healthy homes interventions on a national scale. Under her leadership, GHHI has been awarded the HUD Secretary’s Award for Healthy Homes and the EPA’s National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management Hall of Fame for its innovative programs.