KATY MAGAZINE l JUNE 2019
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy Magazine is profiling a series of notable first responders in our Every Day Heroes section.
Chad Norvell
Major - Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office
Commander of Enforcement Bureau, Media/Digital Program Manager
From Marine to Major
Major Chad Norvell has always wanted to serve and help others. "I believe it is just something inside those that choose this path," says Norvell.
Currently, Norvell is third in command at the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and oversees Patrol and Criminal Investigations, as well as media and social media.
After graduating from Alief Hastings High School, Norvell joined the Marines and became an Infantryman. He got his first law enforcement job in 1993 with the Stafford Police Department and moved to the Sugar Land Police Department three years later.
In 2005 Norvell became the Chief Deputy for the Fort Bend County Precinct #4 Constable’s Office in Sugar Land. After eight years, he moved to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office as a major.
Norvell has a bachelor's of science degree in organizational leadership from Mountain State University in West Virginia. He also attended Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in Illinois.
Teaching and Volunteering
Norvell and his wife Amy are both Texas Master Naturalists. Together, they participate in an important Texas Parks and Wildlife program that teaches about all things native to Texas.
"We take baby alligators into schools to help students learn about our native wildlife," explains Norvell.
Norvell has served on Advisory Boards for three different Katy ISD schools and has taught various Junior Achievement programs. He also serves the community on the Barrow Group subcommittee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Committee. "I enjoy it as I’m in the pens with the kids and their pigs," he says.
Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor
Norvell is also a Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor. "I helped train technicians who then would teach parents how to properly install child safety seats," says Norvell. He has taught in 20 States as well as Heidelberg, Germany and Aviano, Italy. "I hope to reduce the number of deaths caused by improper restraint," says Norvell.
First Firethorne Residents
Major Norvell met his wife Amy when she was a dispatcher for the Sugar Land Police Department. The couple moved to Katy in 1992 and have been married for 19 years. The Norvells were among the first residents in the Firethorne community. They have two sons - Brandon attends the University of Houston, and Cody goes to Katy High School.
Katy Magazine would like to thank Major Chad Norvell for his dedicated service to the residents of Fort Bend County.