Norm Stembridge joins Move Up Global

Norm is a lifelong resident of the city of Boston. He graduated from Norfolk State with a B.A. in Economics in May of 1976. He enjoyed his time at NSU very much and has fond memories of his college years. Norm remains in touch with his classmates and friends from NSU. In late 1976, Norm began a career in technology at the then First National Bank of Boston. Also known as Bank of Boston and later as BankBoston. Prior to the Internet, Client Server and mobile technologies Norm worked in Data Processing. This environment consisted of managing and operating large computers in large computer rooms. Norm keeps up with mainframe and other technologies and has done presentations on the subject matter. During the early to mid-2000s Norm was part of mergers with Fleet Bank and eventually Bank of America.

After many, many enjoyable years working in banking and technology, Norm retired from Bank of America in December of 2016. Currently Norm works on a very, very part time basis picking up, driving, and delivering vehicles throughout New England and other parts of the East Coast. For approximately the last twenty years Norm has been volunteered to work with the Roxbury neighborhood and the City of Boston. In the mid-2000s the neighborhood and the city came up with the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan. This was and is a plan to promote positive economic development in the neighborhood. The plan has focused on reclaiming large, long abandoned parcels of land from the days of urban renewal displacement and abandoned highway construction policies. The policies that created these conditions began in the 1940s. The physical damage was done in the 1960s. In 2004 Norm was selected by former Mayor Thomas M. Menino to sit on the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee. As of today, he still serves as Co-Chair of the committee. From then until now the committee and the city have overseen the commitment of approximately $520M in development dollars in the Roxbury neighborhood. There is also more proposed development on the board. A couple of years ago Norm joined the Boston Network Users Group (BNUG). In late 2020 Norm began working with the group’s President, Adam Frost. Norm, Adam, and others from Move up Global have worked to teach teachers in Nyabirehe, Rwanda computer skills. Norm has enjoyed this experience very much. He looks forward to when the teachers can teach these skills to their students.

In the midst of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, Norm supported our project to equip teachers with computers and smartphones as means to connect and share resources with teachers in rural and hard-to-reach schools in Rwanda. He is an inspiring leader! Always present when it comes to ensuring equitable access to health and education opportunities.

We are thrilled to have Norm on our Board!