Chief Gordon has been a part of the North Carolina Fire Service for thirty-nine years beginning his fire service career on May 25, 1984 as a member of the Waco Community Volunteer Fire Department in Cleveland County, and served as Fire Chief from July 01, 1991 until July 31, 2017.  Chief Gordon continues to serve the Waco Community Volunteer Fire Department today as an Assistant Chief and Chairman to the Local Relief Fund Board.  He has served in various positions with the Cleveland County Firefighters’ Association, as well as the Cleveland County Rural Fire Commission, where he currently serves as the Chairman.

Chief Gordon had a successful career as a Member of Charlotte Fire Department (CFD); retiring on December 07, 2018. He began his career with CFD in 1991 and, as a Captain, served in several special assignments including Training Officer from 1999–2002 and Haz-Mat Captain from 2002–2005.  He was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2005 and served as Chief of Training from 2007–2015.  In 2015, Chief Gordon was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief and served as the Deputy Chief of Administration until his retirement in 2018.  He also served as an elected Trustee for the Charlotte Firefighters’ Retirement System from 2005–2018.  In 2022, he was elected to serve as the Retiree Trustee for Charlotte Firefighters’ Retirement System.

Chief Gordon holds an associate degree in Fire Protection Technology from Central Piedmont Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in Fire Protection and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and graduated from the National Fire Academy's prestigious Executive Fire Officer Program.  He has also been designated as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Chief Training Officer (CTO), Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO), and Fire Marshal (FM) by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.  
Chief Gordon currently serves as the President of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, is a Past President of the North Carolina Firefighters’ Association, and served as a Director with the North Carolina Association of Rescue and EMS from 2010–2018.  He has received the following recognitions: 2013 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Award from the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs and 2014 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year from the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs for his work and dedication to his volunteer department.  He is also an Honorary Life Member of the North Carolina Firefighters’ Association, Life Member of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs’ and a Lifetime Member of North Carolina Association of Rescue and EMS; these honors are in recognition for unselfish contributions and active participation in each of those associations.  He was mostly recently recognized by the North Carolina Society of Fire Rescue Instructors, with the 2019 Legacy Award, for his lifetime commitment to providing innovative and challenging emergency service training to North Carolina’s fire and rescue personnel.
    
Chief Gordon is a member of the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, serving as the fire service appointee for Governor Roy Cooper.  He is a member of the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission, serving as the appointee for North Carolina House of Representatives Speaker Tim Moore.  He is also a member of the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission's Certification Board, for which he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board.  Chief Gordon was elected in 2020 to serve as a County Commissioner for Cleveland County, where he currently serves as the Chairman. Recently, he was appointed to serve as a Trustee for Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees.

Chief Gordon currently lives in Shelby with his wife Sherry and their Labrador, Ranger.  They have two older sons, Alex (Macy) and Zachary (Anne Marie).  They also have three grandchildren Elliott James, Kipton Alexander, and Wyatt Scott.