‘Disaster Relief’ background might be handy for newest EDA board member

At the outset of the Friday, May 8th Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Special Meeting, Board Chairman Ed Daley greeted newly appointed member Melissa Whitney Gordon to the EDA. The Warren County Board of Supervisors appointed Gordon three days earlier to replace resigned member Mark Baker as part of its Tuesday, May 5th meeting Consent Agenda. As previously reported, Baker’s seat has been vacant since January 23.

Daley asked Gordon about her background and experience.

“I have an MBA in accounting and a Masters in information systems. I have spent the majority of my career working in disaster recovery and emergency management – everything from accounting to operations to quality management program. And I currently serve as the chief strategy and information officer for a disaster recovery and disaster management consulting firm. So that means I oversee our entire quality management program for the company, all of our IT and also our corporate strategy and planning process,” Gordon replied.

A work-related photo of newest EDA Board member Melissa Whitney Gordon – Courtesy Photo

On the personal side she added, “I’ve been a resident of Warren County for most of my life, moved here when I was six. I took a brief hiatus for about six years and then came back in 2004.”

“Well, welcome – we have committees, as I’ve mentioned before, and was wondering if you would work with Jorie (Martin) and Tom (Patteson) on the Finance Committee,” Daley replied.

“Sure, I’d be happy to,” Gordon responded, leading the chairman to suggest his newest board member double up and also join Martin on the Assets Committee.

Gordon again agreed to the suggested committee assignment.

“And if you see other things that you want to do, don’t hesitate, jump in,” Daley said in welcoming Gordon to the board.

“I need a disaster relief program, so that’s a good thing,” Martin joked of her new colleagues’ background.

EDA Board Chairman Ed Daley had his online meeting hands full juggling paperwork and Jorie Martin punch lines shortly after 8 a.m. Friday morning. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini

“We do – and I won’t call what that person’s name is, we need disaster recovery from,” Daley chimed in, leading to some online laughter at the virtually conducted meeting.

Royal Examiner contacted Gordon by email the previous day about her professional background. She supplied us with an online business profile link pending a meeting to discuss her application and appointment to the EDA Board of Directors as it traverses the aftermath of a 2018 financial forensic audit that uncovered a history of alleged financial improprieties, embezzlements and misuse of EDA assets surrounding former executive director Jennifer McDonald.

We explored Gordon’s professional and educational background. She is listed as “Chief Strategy and Information Officer at Tidal Basin Government Consulting and Rising Phoenix Management Group, Washington D.C. Metro Area” for which she described her duties above.

Educationally, after initially pursuing undergraduate courses at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee (1998-2000), she received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

“I started at Lee; however, I finished my Bachelor’s through Campbell University in 2007 using their SOCMAR program,” she explained of her undergraduate transfer, explaining, “My ex-husband was a Marine. What the SOCMAR program allows, is for military members and their spouses to take a minimum number of classes through the degree issuing university, then take the remaining classes at an approved accredited university and transfer them back to the degree issuing university, which limits the number of credits lost through transfer.”

At the post-graduate level she achieved first, a Masters in Business Administration in Accounting (2008-2011), then a Master of Science Degree in Information Systems and Information Assurance (2015-2019), both from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

With Lee, Campbell, and Liberty all having strong religious affiliations, we asked Gordon about the role of faith in her educational and professional lives.

“I grew up in a very religious environment. The higher education choices were not necessarily a byproduct of that environment, more a byproduct of circumstance, and the desire to continue my educational career in an environment that allowed me to continue working while doing so. I would say in terms of impact on my professional life or perspective, I am generally a rule follower and will often speak up if I have concerns, but I’m not sure how much of that is related to my religious upbringing versus just being my personality in general,” she replied.

Gordon only met her new colleagues virtually on Friday as the EDA, along with the rest of us, continue to traverse the unfamiliar ground of Coronavirus 2019 pandemic response social distancing and electronic meetings.

Rule following is good within the EDA framework.

And with a lack of concerns or speaking up appearing to have been an issue at the root of much of the EDA’s past problems, if certainly not with its current board, we asked Gordon what prompted her interest in an EDA Board of Directors position in this difficult transition period.

“At the end of the day I’ve built a life here and have a desire to give back to the community and the needs of this position tended to align more with my skillset than other opportunities available. Also, as a mom, anything we do focused on economic development might give my kids a reason to come back home after college, which is an added bonus,” she told us.

On the personal side, Gordon is married with three children, ages 18, 16, and 8 – so she and her new EDA colleagues better get cracking on that economic development as two of those children prepare for the next level of their education and life experiences.

And a series of motions unanimously approved following a 2-1/2-hour closed session quickly adjourned to Friday morning, indicated the revamped EDA board and staff continue positive movement in that regard.

‘We are about to hang up on you – above, non-board members were summarily dismissed from the ZOOM meeting hook up at 8:15 a.m. as the EDA adjourned to a 2-1/2 hour closed session; the agenda of which was displayed, below, to let you know what you were missing. A late addition was discussion of the development or disposal of the recently reacquired, still controversial Royal Ln. ‘workforce housing’ property involved in a portion of the EDA civil litigation.

That open session discussion and actions involved a variety of EDA operations, including:

1- tweaks to its Small Business Loan program and the committee formed to oversee it;

2 – movement away from and towards the sale of the apartment building at 514 East Main Street;

3 – collection of back debts;

4 – approval of further changes to EDA bylaws facilitating electronic meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency; and

5 – impacts of the county supervisors’ decision not consider the absorption of the EDA as a County Department until after the November election to see if what one supervisor appeared to refer to Tuesday as the “cancer” in town government regarding the existing EDA, was, at least partially, removed by ballot box surgery.