- Mission: To support the Park Authority by raising private funds, obtaining grants and creating partnerships that supplement tax dollars to meet our community's needs for park land, facilities and services.
Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D
Dr. Gerald L. Gordon is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Economic Development Authority in Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the largest
office space markets in the United States. He has been with the FCEDA since
late 1983. In that time, office space in the county grew from 32 million
square feet to more than 115 million square feet and jobs in the county grew
from 243,000 to more than 600,000. As a result, the real estate tax rate
has decreased from $1.47 to $1.09.
Dr. Gordon has also worked for Arlington County, Virginia and the United
States Department of Labor. Dr. Gordon was instrumental in creating the Emerging
Business Forum and bringing the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology
to Fairfax County. In 2005, the FCEDA was named by Site Selection Magazine
as one of the Top Ten Economic Development organizations in North America.
In 2007, Time magazine called Fairfax County “one of the great economic
success stories of our time.”
Dr. Gordon has taught at the Catholic University of America, the University
of Maryland, George Mason University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
He has consulted with numerous city and state governments throughout the
United States and around the world, as well as the governments of the Republic
of Poland, the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, and the Federated States
of Micronesia. He has also served as a consultant to various government agencies,
the United States Navy, businesses, non-profit organizations, associations,
colleges and universities, and the United Nations.
Dr. Gordon holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The Citadel, a Master’s
Degree from George Washington University, and a Doctorate in International
Economics from the Catholic University of America. He is the author of eleven
books and numerous articles on strategic planning, economic development,
leadership styles, and other management topics. Dr. Gordon is the 2003 recipient
of the prestigious Israel Freedom Award of the Israel Bonds organization.
In 2006, Dr. Gordon became the first American to address the All-Parliamentary
Exports Group in the British House of Commons. In 2007, Dr. Gordon was accepted
for inclusion on the roster of Fulbright Senior Scholars. In 2007, Dr. Gordon
was named a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council, and
in 2010, he received the James Rees Award from the Fairfax County Chamber
of Commerce. In 2010, Dr. Gordon was named the “Virginia Business Person
of the Year” by Virginia Business magazine.
