Bruce S. Gordon
Encyclopedia
Bruce Scott Gordon is an African American
business executive who spent most of his career with Verizon and currently serves as a corporate director of CBS
, Northrop Grumman
, and Tyco International
. He was selected in June 2005 to head the NAACP, a major American
civil rights
organization. Gordon served in that position until March 2007.
, Gordon's parents were both active in the civil rights movement. A 1968 graduate of Gettysburg College
, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity
, and a 1988 Master's degree in Management (M.B.A.) graduate of the Sloan Fellows
program of the MIT Sloan School of Management
.
, where he rose in corporate management to become the Head of the Retail Markets Division of Verizon upon his retirement in December 2003. Other Verizon executives have credited him with helping to promote diversity and a corporate culture based on customer service at the telecom company.
The American Advertising Federation
inducted him into the Advertising Hall of Fame, the industry’s most prestigious honor, in March 2007. Ebony
magazine named him one of its “100 Most Influential Black Americans and Organization Leaders” in May 2006. He was ranked #6 on Fortune
magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives” in July 2002. Black Enterprise
magazine named him executive of the year in 1998.
Gordon is a member of the boards of CBS
Corporation, Northrop Grumman
Corporation, and Tyco
International, Ltd., where he serves as lead director. He is a diversity consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Gordon is a trustee of U.S. Fund for UNICEF, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
, and Newport Festivals Foundation; a member of the Advisory Boards for New York Urban League, and Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys; and a member of the Executive Leadership Council. He previously served on the boards of Southern Company
, Office Depot
, Best Foods, Infinity Broadcasting and Bartech Group; previously chaired the Chancellor's Advisory Board on Student Motivation in the New York Public School System; was a trustee of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Foundation, The Barnes Foundation, Gettysburg College
and Lincoln Center.
, who resigned his post as NAACP president in late 2004.
President
George W. Bush
made his first appearance at the NAACP on July 20, 2006, half-way through his second term. After having snubbed the organization for most of his presidency, it was Gordon's "moderate" political views that led Bush to acquiesce to the appearance, according to White House
spokesman Tony Snow
.
Citing strain with the board, Gordon resigned in March 2007. He stated "I did not step into the role to be a caretaker, to be dictated to," Gordon said. "I stepped into the role to understand as best I could the needs of the African American community and then to propose strategies and policies and programs and practices that could improve conditions for African Americans…. The things I had in mind were not consistent with what some — unfortunately, too many — on the board had in mind."
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
business executive who spent most of his career with Verizon and currently serves as a corporate director of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, and Tyco International
Tyco International
Tyco International Ltd. is a highly diversified global manufacturing company incorporated in Switzerland, with United States operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey...
. He was selected in June 2005 to head the NAACP, a major American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
organization. Gordon served in that position until March 2007.
Early life
Born in Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, Gordon's parents were both active in the civil rights movement. A 1968 graduate of Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
, and a 1988 Master's degree in Management (M.B.A.) graduate of the Sloan Fellows
Sloan Fellows
The Sloan Fellows program is a mid-career master's degree in general management and leadership supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It is targeted at experienced managers who have already demonstrated a significant degree of career success . Alfred P...
program of the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
.
Career
Gordon's professional career began at Bell of PennsylvaniaBell of Pennsylvania
Verizon Pennsylvania, Inc., formerly Bell Telephone Company of Philadelphia, The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, and Bell Atlantic - Pennsylvania, Inc., who traded as Bell of Pennsylvania, is the Bell Operating Company serving most of Pennsylvania...
, where he rose in corporate management to become the Head of the Retail Markets Division of Verizon upon his retirement in December 2003. Other Verizon executives have credited him with helping to promote diversity and a corporate culture based on customer service at the telecom company.
The American Advertising Federation
American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation , headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the United States...
inducted him into the Advertising Hall of Fame, the industry’s most prestigious honor, in March 2007. Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
magazine named him one of its “100 Most Influential Black Americans and Organization Leaders” in May 2006. He was ranked #6 on Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives” in July 2002. Black Enterprise
Black Enterprise
Black Enterprise is a monthly U.S. magazine which describes itself as "the premier business news and investment resource for African Americans" and claims a readership of 3.7 million. It was founded in 1970 by Earl G. Graves, Sr.. The publication is known for its annual listing of the largest...
magazine named him executive of the year in 1998.
Gordon is a member of the boards of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Corporation, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
Corporation, and Tyco
Tyco
Tyco may refer to:* Tyco International, a diversified industrial conglomerate* Tyco Electronics, a former segment of Tyco International* Tyco Toys, a division of Mattel...
International, Ltd., where he serves as lead director. He is a diversity consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Gordon is a trustee of U.S. Fund for UNICEF, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio based on the history of the Underground Railroad. The Center also pays tribute to all efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people." Billed as part of a new group of "museums of...
, and Newport Festivals Foundation; a member of the Advisory Boards for New York Urban League, and Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys; and a member of the Executive Leadership Council. He previously served on the boards of Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...
, Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, Best Foods, Infinity Broadcasting and Bartech Group; previously chaired the Chancellor's Advisory Board on Student Motivation in the New York Public School System; was a trustee of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey...
Foundation, The Barnes Foundation, Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
and Lincoln Center.
NAACP
Gordon's selection as NAACP president on 25 June 2005 was widely regarded as unusual — most of the organization's past presidents have been prominent figures in politics, religion, or the civil rights movement before holding the office. The only candidate seriously considered by the organization's board, he was approved by a unanimous vote and was confirmed at the July 2005 NAACP convention. He succeeded Kweisi MfumeKweisi Mfume
Kweisi Mfume is the former President/CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , as well as a five-term Democratic Congressman from Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving in the 100th through 104th Congress...
, who resigned his post as NAACP president in late 2004.
President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
made his first appearance at the NAACP on July 20, 2006, half-way through his second term. After having snubbed the organization for most of his presidency, it was Gordon's "moderate" political views that led Bush to acquiesce to the appearance, according to White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
spokesman Tony Snow
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
.
Citing strain with the board, Gordon resigned in March 2007. He stated "I did not step into the role to be a caretaker, to be dictated to," Gordon said. "I stepped into the role to understand as best I could the needs of the African American community and then to propose strategies and policies and programs and practices that could improve conditions for African Americans…. The things I had in mind were not consistent with what some — unfortunately, too many — on the board had in mind."