Brigham Young University–Hawaii has named Norman S. Black as Vice President of Administration, effective May 20, 2014. The university’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment following a recommendation by a university search committee that Black replace Michael B. Bliss who has served in this capacity for 12 years and is retiring in May 2014.
As Vice President of Administration, Black will serve on the BYU–Hawaii President’s Council and have responsibility over Financial Services, Materials Management (Purchasing, Travel Services, Print Services, Mail Center, Campus Distribution Center), Human Resources, and Security.
Black has been with BYU–Hawaii since 2011 as Director of Enterprise Information Systems. Previously, he served for 10 years as Program Manager for Lockheed Martin, overseeing operational and technical functions for several large government contracts. In this capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of internal and sub-contracted personnel, including management of the HR and finance teams that supported the contracts. Prior to his work with Lockheed Martin, he served as an officer in the Air Force, holding the rank of Major at the time of his retirement. During his military career, he led hundreds of military and civilian professionals in various organizations throughout the Air Force and in a NATO organization during Desert Storm.
Entrepreneurship and business management are also part of Black’s portfolio. He was a founding partner of a security services company and was the managing partner of Pinion Ridge Corporation, a start-up company offering high adventure camping experiences to youth groups in the Colorado high mountains. He operated the camp for eight years and oversaw operations for an additional 11 years.
Black served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Italy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s degree in Management of Computer Resources and Information Systems. He and his wife Linda have four sons and four grandchildren and live in Laie, Hawaii.