Orange County NC Website
3 <br /> BIOGRAPHY OF ALICE M. GORDON, Ph.D. <br /> Alice M. Gordon was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up there. After graduating from <br /> Columbus North High School as valedictorian of her class, she received a B.Sc. in Psychology <br /> summa cum laude from The Ohio State University. At Ohio State, she was elected to the <br /> academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, and also to Mortar Board, a national honor society <br /> recognizing college seniors for their exemplary scholarship, leadership, and service. <br /> Alice received a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University, California, specializing in <br /> children's cognitive and language development. She then studied children's language <br /> development on a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. Alice is a <br /> former research psychologist at the University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child <br /> Development Institute, where her focus was the study of children's language development. <br /> Alice has been a resident of Orange County since 1972. She and her husband, Alan Biermann, <br /> have been married over fifty years, and have two grown children and four grandchildren. <br /> RECORD OF SERVICE IN NORTH CAROLINA <br /> Alice M. Gordon, Ph.D. is a distinguished leader who began serving Orange County when she <br /> was appointed to the Orange County Planning Board in 1980. Elected to the Board of County <br /> Commissioners in 1990, she served as an Orange County Commissioner for six terms, 1990- <br /> 2014. During her 24 years as a commissioner, Alice made significant contributions to Orange <br /> County and the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in the areas of environmental <br /> protection, school excellence, and improved regional transportation. Two visionary initiatives <br /> for which she provided leadership Orange County's "Lands Legacy Program" and the <br /> Triangle's joint 2035 "Long Range Transportation Plan" — received national planning awards, <br /> and the "Alice Gordon Science Building" was named in her honor for her stellar leadership in <br /> promoting school excellence. Alice was also known as a public servant with integrity, who <br /> always remained true to her core values. <br /> L SERVICE IN NORTH CAROLINA PRIOR TO BECOMING AN ORANGE <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONER, 1980-1989 <br /> • Chair of the Orange County Planning Board. Appointed in 1980 and a member for <br /> six years, the last two as Chair. <br /> • Second Vice President of the League of Women Voters. <br /> • President of the Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) PTA Council, a <br /> group representing all of the PTAs in the district. She also served on PTA boards <br /> of individual schools. <br /> II. SERVICE IN NORTH CAROLINA AS AN ORANGE COUNTY <br /> COMMISSIONER, 1990-2014 <br /> A. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION - To make environmental protection a significant <br /> function of Orange County Government, Alice Gordon was the architect of three <br /> noteworthy initiatives, including the Lands Legacy Program. When the commissioners <br /> approved them, her initiatives: <br />