ERS Team

Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon is the CEO of Positive Education Program, an organization that provides services–both direct and consultative in nature–for children challenged by complex developmental trauma, mental health issues and autism, their families, and the professionals who support them.

Previously, Eric served as Senior Vice-President of Student Development and Education Pipeline at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), where he served as a thought partner to the president and trusted advisor to the President’s Cabinet.  He was responsible for developing and implementing strategies that ensured a seamless transition for students as they moved through different stages of education, from early childhood to post-secondary education and beyond.  A key focus of Eric’s work was identifying and addressing gaps in the current student development and support systems to ensure students had access to the resources and support needed to succeed.

Eric also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), a role he held from July 2011 through June 2023.  In that role, he was responsible for the leadership and daily management of Cleveland’s 35,600 student school district. During his tenure CMSD saw dramatic improvement in academic performance, including a 29-percentage point gain in graduation rates to a record 80.9%.     

Among his many awards, CEO Gordon received the Green-Garner Award of the Council of the Great City Schools in 2016, distinguishing him as the top Urban Educator of the Year, the highest national honor for an urban school superintendent.   In addition to being named one of Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People” early in his tenure as superintendent, Mr. Gordon’s active engagement in the Cleveland community has been noted with a number of community awards, including the Diversity Center of Cleveland’s Humanitarian Award, Inside Business Magazine’s Power 100 Award and Smart Business Magazine’s Top 50 Award, which honors the most successful executives in northeast Ohio, the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation’s Outstanding Ohio Superintendent Performance Award, and most recently the Mary Utne O’Brien Social Emotional Learning Leader Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).