Set to Depart as CMSD CEO, Eric Gordon Lands Gig at Tri-C

Eric Gordon, the soon-to-be former CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, hands off the baton to his replacement, Warren Morgan Credit: Mark Oprea

Shortly after Warren Morgan was announced as the next leader of CMSD, current CEO Eric Gordon announced that he will be going back to school again, and staying local.

In a press release Friday, Gordon wrote that he will be acting as Tri-C’s vice president for student development and the educational pipeline, which effectively puts him a notch below Tri-C President Michael Baston, as far as academic strategy goes. Or, as Gordon puts it, Baston’s “thought partner.”

The job change, as Gordon agreed in his announcement, seems natural for the highly-beloved exec, who helped usher in the the district-saving Cleveland Plan in 2012 and helped raise CMSD graduation rates to their highest level ever, at roughly 81 percent, in 2022.

And, if it’s not obvious quite yet, it’s possible Gordon could be influencing policy to guide high schoolers—like current CMSDers—transitioning into a college academic environment.

“As I considered how my own career path might ensure continued progress and momentum for the children of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County,” Gordon wrote, “I believe this new position at Tri-C provides the greatest opportunity for me to do so.”

Gordon added, “I am most excited about continuing the work I loved most as CMSD’s CEO, servicing as an advocate for students, working to address their needs and concerns, and collaborating with community stakeholders to identify and address gaps in the education system.”

Earlier in May, the CMSD Board announced that Warren Morgan, a former chief academic officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, would be replacing Gordon at the helm this summer.

In Gordon’s speech, following a literal handing off of a baton, the departing CEO comforted his audience, reassuring them in gentle tones that Morgan has the skills to carry on the torch.

“[Morgan] has the talent to do this job,” Gordon said. “He also has the professional humility to understand that this is not an easy job. And he’s not just going to return with simple solutions to complex challenges that face our young people.”

In his new post, Gordon will be taking a slight pay cut, making $210,000 a year instead of the $276,000 he made as CMSD’s chief, Signal Cleveland reported.

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