Norma Timbang is known for supporting skill building towards effective working relationships among community activists, organizers, and policy makers. Norma has been instrumental in community campaigns that focus on human rights, LGBTQ+, and immigrant issues, including a current campaign: “Mandatory Reporting is Not Neutral” (MRNN), seeking to transform advocacy practices towards reducing systems harm.
Norma has worked in non-profits, health care, human services, community development, and organizing since the 1980’s. Norma is a former executive director of Asian Pacific AIDS Council and has worked with many organizations on the local, national and international level, including API Chaya, the National Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Alliance, International Community Health Services, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. Norma has extensive experience organizing on issues affecting Asian American women, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people, especially intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
In 2012 and again in 2014, Norma visited Cuba as a delegate to the US Women and Cuba Collaboration. Norma and colleagues returned to the US to collaborate on projects about Cuba’s innovative human and health services and medical practices as well as art and performance arts projects in LGBTQ+ and additional communities in Cuba.
Norma teaches social work for social justice, InterGroup Dialogue, racial healing, community-based climate assessments and program evaluation, organizational development, and policy and community practice at the University of Washington School of Social Work. As a consultant, Norma works with collectives and community organizations to explore social identity (e.g. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, elders) and the impacts of racial oppression and intergenerational trauma, and integration of principles and practices of equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging.
