Norm used courage, integrity, and excellence to carry him to the highest levels of law enforcement and government service. He began his career with the FBI as a Special Agent, working in many of the Bureau's field offices. His FBI career culminated in his being the Special Agent in Charge of the field offices in San Diego and Washington DC (the second-largest FBI field office in the country). His Washington assignment coincided with a tense time in the Cold War, and his responsibilities there included directing foreign counterintelligence for the FBI, and its elite Hostage Rescue Team. He left the FBI in 1986 to become the first Inspector General of the Tennessee Valley Authority, eventually rising to become the TVA's Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Services. He has not forgotten his roots, mentioning Oakfield in his official biography. He still returns frequently to the area to visit family.