General Manager
Centralia City Light
General Manager of Centralia City Light
Centralia, Wash.
M.L. Norton became the General Manager of Centralia City Light in February 2013 where he is responsible for managing the city’s electric generation – including a 12+ megawatt hydroelectric project located in Yelm, Wash., as well as, transmission and distribution facilities and related personnel. Norton was appointed to the Energy Northwest Board of Directors in February 2013 and elected assistant secretary in October 2020.
Norton brings a broad and varied background with more than 30 years of electric power industry experience. Following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, he served in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Service aboard USS Ethan Allen (SSBN/SSN-608).
During those 30 years, he worked for 2 rural electric cooperatives and an electrical engineering consulting firm. His most recent experience, prior to Centralia, has been as project manager for Central Electric Cooperative in Redmond, Oregon overseeing the construction of multiple distribution, substation, and distribution projects. Included in those duties were long-range planning and budgeting.
Board of Directors Member Since 2013