Dr. Norris is the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Louisiana Tech University. He leads the university’s research, innovation, and economic development missions. He has served on several national and statewide boards including the Louisiana Business Incubator Association, the LONI Economic Development Advisory Board, the Louisiana Occupational Forecasting Conference, and the University Economic Development Association. He is past President of the Board of the Greater Ouachita Coalition for AIDS Resources and Education and serves on the board of the Living Well Healthcare Foundation. Dr. Norris was previously on the Economics faculty at Northeastern University in Boston (2000-2002) and served in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1998-2000). He received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University and his master’s and Ph.D in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.