Necole Norris

Vice President

A great story always puts people at its heart. Necole is passionate about her work focused on racial equity and justice in underserved communities, and has spent her career developing strategic, humanized communications that shine a light on some of the toughest challenges facing our country today.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Necole watched firsthand a city, once known for its diversity, transform and displace its long-term residents in the name of “revitalization”. It was this transformation and many others across the country that sparked her to better understand the economic and financial drivers behind a growing economy and the impact on its moderate- to - low-income residents. She often asks the question, “Why does the revitalization of a community generally involve pushing out the people and families that built its foundation?”

At Spitfire, Necole puts her strategic communications background to work for a diverse portfolio of clients ranging from large national foundations and civil rights nonprofits to colleges and universities. Necole  tackles issues such as increasing the usage of people-first language in the criminal justice system and media, voter suppression and rights restoration in the South, and much more. She helps clients determine the best mix of messaging and messengers, and a strategy to reach the right people at the right time. Her clients include ACLU Southern Collective, FWD.us’ People First and Spelman College.

Before Spitfire, Necole spent eight years at Fannie Mae, launching and leading strategic communications for their Sustainable Communities Initiative and their external racial equity thought leadership plan. She played an integral role in launching the company’s first racial equity event and content series, Bridging the Gap. The series focused on elevating the voices of Fannie Mae’s CEO and other leaders on the topic of racial equity in housing. Her leadership with senior executives led to the development and placement of an op-ed on Fortune.com. This op-ed became a cornerstone piece to guide the company’s external narrative and tone on racial equity in housing, redlined communities and other racial inequities that have spanned our history.

Necole earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Howard University, Washington, DC. A self-taught gardener, lover of dance, music, and travel, Necole lives in Lorton, VA with her two boys and puppy.

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