Bruce S. Gordon

Born in Camden, New Jersey, 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.

Gordon's professional career began at Bell 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 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.