Jane E Norton

46th Lieutenant Governor, Republican, 2003-2007

Biography

A lifelong Coloradan, Jane Norton was sworn in as Colorado's 46th Lieutenant Governor January 13, 2003. Her responsibilities include serving as chair of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs; acting as point person for the Owens Administration on health insurance reform; strengthening families by overseeing the state's volunteerism, mentoring, and adoption initiatives; serving as Colorado's delegate to the Aerospace States Association.

She oversees the Governor's Commission on Community Service, co-chairs the Colorado Space Coalition, is Colorado's delegate to the Education Commission of the States, is a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, and is chair-elect of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

Norton is the Colorado spokesperson for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women Campaign" and is honorary chair of the Colorado March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign and of the Colorado Freedom Memorial. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES); the American Council of Young Political Leaders; is a member of the Homeland Security and All-Hazard Senior Advisory Committee; Board of Advisors for Colorado History Day; co-chairs the state's Health Disparities Commission; the Institute for Science and Space Studies National Board of Advisors and the University of Colorado's Advisory Board for Women's Health. She recently completed service as the chair of the Colorado State University Alcohol Abuse Task Force and of the Fitzsimmons State Veterans Nursing Home Accountability Committee.

Ms. Norton's honors include the 2005 Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction, United Veterans Committee of Colorado Distinguished Veterans Advocate Award; "Public Servant of the Year" by the Rocky Mountain Family Council; Persons Living with HIV Action Network of Colorado Legislator of the Year Award; honorary member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society; Regis University's David M. Clarke, S.J. Innovative Leadership Award; Colorado's first-ever Family Values Award; Colorado State University's College of Applied Human Sciences Honor Alumna Award; US Public Health Service Award for Outstanding Accomplishment for increasing childhood immunization rates; and the US Administration on Aging's Outstanding Service to Seniors Award.

Prior to her election, Ms. Norton was appointed Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment by Governor Bill Owens, a position she held from 1999-2002. As such, she had regulatory and programmatic responsibilities ranging from bio-terrorism preparedness; disease prevention and epidemiology; health facilities; family and community health services; emergency medical services; air and water quality protection; hazardous waste and solid waste management; and consumer protection. She managed a staff of 1,100 with a budget of over $280 million. She served as Secretary, State Board of Health; Chair, Governor's Expert Emergency Epidemic Response Committee; Commissioned Officer, Food and Drug Administration; Board of Directors, Regional Air Quality Council; Leadership Council of the Multi-Agency Wildfire Restoration and Rehabilitation Team; Colorado Natural Resource Damages Trustee; Colorado Strategic Planning Group on Health Care Coverage; Association of State and Territorial Health Officers; National Governors' Association's Oral Health Policy Academy Colorado Team; and on the Governor's Disaster Emergency Council.

Ms. Norton has also served on the Children's Basic Health Plan Policy Board; Governor's Task Force on Victim Support for the Columbine High School Tragedy; co-chair of the Colorado Commission on Children's Dental Health; Task Force on Small Group and Rural Access Issues; Governor's Task Force for Persons with Disabilities; and the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Workforce Issues in Long Term Care.

Previously, Norton was tapped by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush to serve as the six state (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) regional director of the US Department of Health and Human Services. She has also served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, filling the remainder of an unexpired term from mid-1986 to January 1987.

Jane is the daughter of Elinor Pitman Bergman, a retired Grand Junction teacher and native of Pueblo, and Walter F. "Bus" Bergman, a native of Denver and retired Mesa College coach. Born and raised in Grand Junction, she began teaching middle school in Fort Lupton after graduating from Colorado State University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in health sciences. She also has a Master of Sciences in Management degree from Regis University, Denver. Lieutenant Governor Norton is married to Mike Norton, former U.S. Attorney of Colorado. She is the mother of two grown children, and is an avid hiker and skier.