President & CEO
Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR)
gnorton@gsnrnet.org
Greg Norton is President/CEO of Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR). Mr. Norton led the creation of GSNR, which began in 2018, with a vision for mitigating the risk of catastrophic wildfire, enhancing forest health and resiliency, and focusing on public benefits and purposes such as rural economic development. In this role, Mr. Norton is leading the charge to find solutions for the removal of excess woody biomass from California’s forests and conversion into competitively produced commercial industrial pellets for export to markets converting from coal to biomass for energy production.
Prior to this role, Mr. Norton served as President and CEO of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), a 39-member county service organization advocating on behalf of California’s rural counties. Mr. Norton was responsible for the overall operations of the organization, including oversight of the affiliate entities, Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) and National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. (NHF). Mr. Norton was with the organization for more than 20 years before retiring in early 2021. In Mr. Norton’s role as RCRC President, he directed the organization’s work on behalf of member counties to advocate for issues unique to rural communities at the local, state, and federal levels and provide legislative and regulatory representation that enhances and protects the quality of life in California’s rural counties. RCRC’s goal is to improve the ability of rural county government to provide services, reduce the burden of state and federal mandates, and promote a greater understanding among policymakers about the challenges that face California’s small population counties. Mr. Norton also oversaw the development and growth of substantial financing programs offered by affiliates GSFA and NHF. As Executive Director of GSFA, Mr. Norton signed a 20-year Master Stewardship agreement with the USFS covering all of Region-5 in California.
Mr. Norton has spent the majority of his career in the non-profit and local government sectors, including time with both the City of Sacramento and Ventura County, as well as serving as Director of Internal Audit for a multi-facility health care organization after beginning his career working for a CPA firm. Greg holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Harding University.
