06 Catrena Norris Carter
Catrena Norris Carter is a 35-year veteran of both civil and women’s rights movements in America. She is CoFounder and CEO of SALUTE SELMA Inc. a 501- (C) (3) organization designed to take the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and apply these solutions to everyday business practices. In 2020 on the 55th Anniversary of the Historic Selma to Montgomery March, Salute Selma Inc, in an unprecedented partnership with the National Pan Hellenic Council, Inc. “Divine 9”, organized the first ever Black Women lead March, where more than 30 thousand black women, activist and citizens showed up from across the globe to commemorate the 55th Annual “Bloody Sunday” Selma to Montgomery March which led to the passage of the 1965 voting rights act. The mission: For black women to show their continued commitment to voting and encouraging others to make their voices heard by getting out to encourage others to vote in what some have deemed the most important election in US history. This event had a huge impact on the election of Senator Kamala Harris becoming the first female Vice- President of these United States of America! For three decades Ms. Carter led successful efforts as the National Coordinator of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee Inc. a 501 (C) (3) organization that founded the annual reenactment of the 1965 Bridge Crossing that has brought hundreds of thousands to Selma; including but not limited to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Congressman John Lewis, Maxine Waters, Stacy Abrahams, Rosa Parks, Dick Gregory, Ambassador Andrew Young, Eric Holder, Winnie Mandela along with thousands of politicians, celebrities, activists, and foot soldiers from all over the world. Catrena was the Executive Director of the Selma to Montgomery 50th Anniversary Commemoration Foundation and the Executive Producer of Centric/BET’S SALUTE SELMA Docu-concert and SELMA SHEROS documentary. Catrena is the Managing Partner of Kason Enterprises, a PR Firm that shape and maintain a positive image for their clients through strategic communication, event planning and crisis management. They build relationships with Media, craft messages for community outreach, organize and plan events while promoting products or services, all while anticipating and managing public perception. She founded Women of Will, (WOW) a nonprofit that has trained hundreds of women to run for political office and headed the “Vote or Die” movement electing Doug Jones as the first democratic Senator of Alabama in over 20 years! Ms. Carter was Associate Publisher of the publication Who’s Who in Black Alabama and brings over twenty years of award-winning hospitality experience. She was the former Director of Sales & Marketing for the Historic Redmont Hotel and the Historic Tutwiler Hotel. She received National recognition from Wyndham International as the 2010 “Best of By Request” Winner, before receiving The Restaurant & Hospitality Association’s prestigious “Hospitality Manager” of the Year for the State of Alabama. In 2020 she received the “Best of Minority Business” Award for nonprofits. In 2015 she was nominated as one of AL.COM’S “Women who Shape the State “Award and was named one of 2015’s Top 40 Women of Influence in the southeast. In 2013 she was Voted one of the Top 10 Powerhouse Women in the State of Alabama and received the Birmingham Spotlight award along with NAACP’s Regional 2014’s “Women of Wisdom Award.” Catrena has three beautiful sons and is a native of Selma Al. She received a Bachelor of Art Degree in Psychology from the University of AL at Birmingham after spending two years on a performing arts scholarship at Loretto Heights College in Denver Colorado.