Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., is the president and CEO of the Economic Development Authority in Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the largest office markets in the nation. He has been with the FCEDA since late 1983, during which time office space in the county grew from 32 million square feet to more than 115 million, and jobs in the county grew from 243,000 to almost 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.” In 2011, the Washington Post said that “Fairfax County remains the economic wunderkind of Virginia and in many ways of the Washington area.”
Dr. Gordon has taught at Catholic University, the University of Maryland, George Mason University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He has consulted with city and state governments throughout the United States and around the world, as well as the governments of Poland, the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, and 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 The George Washington University, and a doctorate in international economics from The Catholic University of America. He is the author of 12 books on strategic planning and economic development. His most recent book is "The Economic Survival of America's Isolated Small Towns" (CRC Press, 2015). Other recent books include “The Economic Viability of Micropolitan America” (CRC Press, 2013), “Reinventing Local and Regional Economies” (CRC Press, 2011) and “The Formula for Economic Growth on Main Street America” (CRC Press, 2009).
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, he was accepted for inclusion on the roster of Fulbright Senior Scholars. Also in 2007, he was named a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council.
In 2010, Virginia Business named Dr. Gordon its “Virginia Business Person of the Year.” That year he also received the James Rees Award from the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. In 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Virginia Business tapped Dr. Gordon for its “50 Most Influential Virginians” list.
Leadership Fairfax, Inc. named Dr. Gordon the recipient of the 2011 Northern Virginia Regional Leadership Award. In 2012, Transwestern, Delta Associates, Baker Tilly and PNC Real Estate honored Dr. Gordon as a TrendLines Trendsetter of the Year for the Washington metropolitan area for his contributions to the commercial real estate industry.
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