Please join us in welcoming Greyson Norcross as the N.C. Chapter’s new Development & Marketing Director! Greyson came on board in August and will work most closely with our leadership team and communications manager Margaret Lillard. He'll lead the Chapter’s integrated fundraising, marketing and communications efforts to grow revenue and build power across North Carolina. Now that he has had a few weeks to get settled, we sat down with Greyson to learn more about him and his experiences.
Tell us a bit about your professional experience ...
I started my career in nonprofit public education, working in a high school as a college advisor and music teacher in Pennsylvania. I spent several years working with the College Advising Corps in the schools and on the administrative team before moving to North Carolina and starting graduate school. I earned my Masters’ Degree in Higher Education Administration and my Ph.D. in Adult and Lifelong Education from N.C. State. While in grad school, I worked at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, leading communications and fundraising efforts. For my dissertation, I explored the relationship between leadership, creativity and the arts, and how leaders can best use their artistic knowledge and experiences to shape their leadership. After grad school, I shifted out of education and into nonprofit philanthropy. I worked for Triangle Community Foundation and engaged in grant making, fundraising, and donor stewardship.
What drew you to Sierra Club?
I have been a longtime advocate for the environment and also a fan of the Sierra Club’s work. When I saw this position open up, I knew that I had to go for it! It was the perfect opportunity to meld my personal environmental passions with my years of experience in fundraising and communications. As an intersectional environmentalist, I was also drawn to Sierra Club’s environmental justice work.
I’m excited to be working with and connecting with members and donors in support of your philanthropic efforts. Every donor has their own unique story that drew them to Sierra Club, and I am looking forward to hearing and reading their stories as well!
Sierra Club members: We'd love to hear why you're here! If you'd like to be featured in our new Member Spotlight series, fill out this form to get started.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I am a big fan of niche winter sports! I’m a member of the Triangle Curling Club, and I also greatly enjoy roller skiing (a facsimile of cross country skiing), watching biathlon, cheering on the Hurricanes and, though soccer isn't a winter sport, supporting the N.C. Courage. I’m a musician and am working on teaching myself guitar and the duduk (an ancient, double-reed woodwind instrument), though I really should practice my trombone more. I also do a lot of crosswords and other assorted word and logic puzzles. I am also a photographer and love to take pictures of nature and the environment.
Mountains or the beach?
I enjoy a good day trip to the beach, but I definitely am more a fan of the mountains. I grew up in Pennsylvania, which is not well known for beaches. As a kid, my family went camping every summer, so I am much more at home among the trees and hiking in the mountains than I am at the beach.
What do you recommend?
I am a big reader, so I always love to recommend books that folks should check out. Here are a few titles that have really stood out to me lately.
- Intersectional Environmentalism, by Leah Thomas
- Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, by Ed Yong
- The Climate Book, created by Greta Thunberg
- The High Sierra: A Love Story, by Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Ministry For The Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Please feel free to reach out to Greyson by email or at 919-833-8467 x108 with any questions about his experiences or your philanthropy in support of the NC Chapter!
About Us: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with tens of thousands of members and supporters in North Carolina. We help people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, and work to promote clean energy, protect wildlife, safeguard the health of our communities, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.