Chris Gordon

In his capacity as President of Wynn Development for Wynn Resorts, Chris Gordon is leading global real estate development efforts with a focus on identification of new projects and the planning and approvals of those projects. His most recent efforts include the initiation of Wynn Al Marjan Island, a $4B resort in the United Arab Emirates and the development of the Encore Boston Harbor, a $2.6B resort casino on the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts.

He is also a Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate, teaching a graduate level course on project delivery, and occasionally teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design on complex development issues. 

Prior to Wynn, Chris served as an advisor and manager on complex development projects worldwide as President of the Dirigo Group, establishing project strategies, project teams, and management processes, and then often monitored and/or leading the project to significantly improve the chances for success. Example consulting projects include development of a multi-billion dollar urban resort casino on a brownfields site [Encore project prior to joining Wynn], master planning two urban university campuses, development of a new city in Saudi Arabia, redevelopment of a blighted urban square into a retail and office complex, development of high rise mixed use retail and residential on a large scale ocean front parcel, repositioning of a landmark urban public library with retail and conference/entertainment space, and development of the Abu Dhabi airport and district.

Prior to the establishment of his consulting practice, he served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Allston Development Group, the real estate development arm of Harvard University, from 2005 to 2010. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of Harvard’s multi-billion-dollar expansion in the nearly 400 acre Allston section of Boston as well as development projects on the historic Cambridge campus. 

Before stepping into the role of COO for the Allston Development Group, Chris was director of Capital Programs and Logan Modernization for the Massachusetts Port Authority. During his decade at Massport, he was responsible for capital programming and project delivery for all capital projects at all Massport facilities, including Logan International Airport, Hanscom Airfield, Tobin Memorial Bridge, Maritime Terminals on the Port of Boston, and the Worcester Regional Airport. He oversaw the successful completion of the $4.4 billion Logan Modernization Project, oversaw a $500 million annual budget, and worked closely with private developers and public agencies to support the development of the 300 acres of Massport owned land into the thriving Seaport District. 

Prior to joining Massport, Chris worked for Cambridge Systematics in the Program Management Group, for Bechtel Corporation in the Civil Division, and for H.E. Bergeron as a project manager. 

Chris serves on the Board of Directors of NREC, a leading real estate development company based in Kuwait with large scale projects throughout the Middle East and North Africa, served on the Real Estate Committee for the Boston 2024 Olympic bid, and is the Chairman of the Board of Fryeburg Academy, one of the oldest private high schools in America.

Chris has served as a board member of the National Research Council’s Board on Infrastructure and the Built Environment, a trustee of the Engineering Center Education Trust, a corresponding editor of the American Society of Civil Engineers Engineering Management Journal, and has been a speaker at numerous conferences. Chris was named the 2001 Person of the Year for the Construction Management Association of America for both the New England region and the country, and was named the 2000 Government Engineer of the Year by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. In 2003, he received the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service.  He was Governor Mitt Romney’s appointee as Co-Chair of the Special Commission on Public Construction Reform [with future US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh] that in 2004 resulted in landmark reform of all public construction laws in the Commonwealth.  Chris was honored as the recipient of the 2006 New England Achievement Award, presented as part of Engineers Week – an annual award recognizing an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievements, commitment to public service, and support of the engineering profession.  Chris served as the Chief Judge for 2010 for the Engineering Excellence Awards for America, and in 2015 was the recipient of the Engineering Center Education Trust Leadership Award for his Leadership in Economic Development.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maine, where he played Division 1 varsity football, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a research focus on project management and development delivery methods, and is a registered Professional Engineer in several states.  He is married to Cici Gordon, a manufacturing executive; the Gordons reside in Winchester, Massachusetts.