Tim Norton was appointed to the Board on Geographic & Historic Names by the Governor in January 1993. He was elected Chair in January 1994 and has been re-elected every year since. He was re-appointed to the Board by the Governor in January 1998 for a 5 year term. He is one of two "public" Board members specified by statute. Prior to official status on the Board, he attended meetings as interested citizen.

He is a Phoenix Police Officer, with 19.5 years service, and currently serves as Administrative Officer to Assistant Police Chief over Investigations Division. He served 5 years with Arizona DPS (Highway Patrol).

He has made a presentation on "Arizona history and history of place names in Arizona."

He has a Bachelor Of Arts degree in Management from the University of Phoenix, 1986. His interests include:  photography, Arizona History, travel in Arizona and delving into "why is it called that?"

"I have been a user of maps and names information for many, many years and am considered a "ground pounder" when it comes to using the back roads and maps to figure out where I am or have been.  Names along the way are very useful to me and I always want to know more about the history behind the place name."

"My interest in this workshop lies in the following realms:
·       As a state names authority with decision making power regarding “official” names of the state of Arizona
·       As a state names authority using and contributing data
·       As a state names authority establishing and sharing data
·       As a “user” (i.e. public) of gazetteer information.

In addition, both of the individuals who provide research support to the Board are librarians.  The information gained from the workshop would be passed on to them to assist in their research and referral efforts."