Minnesota Safe and Supportive Schools Conference

March 10, 2020

Marriott Northwest, Brooklyn Park, MN

Eric Gordon was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) in June 2011 after serving as the district’s Chief Academic Officer for four years. He is responsible for the leadership and daily management of Cleveland’s 39,000-student school district. Mr. Gordon, together with Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and other business, philanthropic, and educational leaders, successfully lobbied Ohio legislators in 2012 to pass The Cleveland Plan, a revolutionary package of education reform legislation that was signed into law on July 2, 2012. The Cleveland Plan has received national attention for its strong bipartisan support and unprecedented collaborative process that united the people of Cleveland around a collective mission to transform their public school system.

Mr. Gordon is active nationally in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards curriculum and in the implementation of Social and Emotional Learning Standards for children. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors for the “Council of the Great City Schools”, a member organization representing more than 70 large urban districts across the United States. On July 1, 2019, Mr. Gordon began a one-year term as chair of the Council’s Board of Directors.

CEO Gordon was honored with the “Green-Garner Award” in 2016, naming him the Urban Educator of the Year, the highest honor available to an urban superintendent in the United States. Active in the Cleveland community, Mr. Gordon, was featured in Inside Business Magazine’s “Power 100” in 2013 and was voted one of Cleveland Magazine’s “Most Interesting People” in 2012. This year, Corporate College and Smart Business magazine honored him with a Smart 50 Award, given to the region’s top executives.