An Edgecombe County native with a distinguished career of leadership in industry and public service, E. Norris Tolson took the helm as president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center on July 2, 2007.
Tolson had served on the Biotechnology Center's Board of Directors since 1997, and as a member of the Executive Committee since 2001.
He was one of five co-conveners leading development of North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, and serves as chairman of the board of the subsequently established Biofuels Center of North Carolina, in Oxford.
Tolson has served the state as secretary of commerce and as secretary of transportation, charged by Gov. Jim Hunt with reorganizing both departments.
In 1999, Tolson served as chairman of the North Carolina Hurricane Floyd Relief Fund, established to help victims recover from that disaster.
In 2001, Gov. Mike Easley appointed Tolson secretary of revenue, where he remained until taking the leadership post at the Biotechnology Center in 2007.
He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 until 1997, representing parts of Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt and Wilson counties.
In June 2009 Gov. Bev Perdue appointed Tolson to the North Carolina State University Board of Trustees.
Tolson graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor's degree in crop science and agribusiness in 1962. He also served in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps from 1963 to 1965.
Prior to his election to the General Assembly, Tolson held various domestic and international research, marketing and sales responsibilities with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. From 1965 until his retirement in 1993 he served in the company's agricultural products and electronics divisions, and lived in Europe for several years.
Tolson and his wife, Betsy, live in Pinetops. They have three children and five grandchildren.
He is a member of the N.C. State University Board of Visitors, Alumni Association Board of Directors, and CALS Alumni and Friends Society advisory boards. Tolson serves on boards for NCBIO and the Academy for Leadership Excellence within the United Methodist Church, and as an active member of the N.C. AgBiotech Steering Committee.