Gordon Day

Professional biography:

Gordon Day received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. For 33 years he conducted and managed research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, participating in some of the Institute’s best known programs in optoelectronics: optical fiber communications, optical fiber sensors, laser radiometry, and a determination of the speed of light that led eventually to a redefinition of the meter. In 1994 he became the first Division Chief of the NIST Optoelectronics Division.  He is a Fellow of the IEEE, the Optical Society of America, and the Institute of Physics (UK) and a Past President of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.  In 2005, he was an IEEE Congressional Fellow, serving as a science advisor to Senator Jay Rockefeller.  He is currently Director of Government Relations for the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association, and a consultant specializing in optoelectronics technology and science policy.

Relevant Skills

As a Senior Executive at NIST I learned the skills of managing a large organization within a larger organization, developing broad goals and working through others to achieve them.  

At NIST, I also learned the challenges of workforce development, the importance of providing equal opportunity for all, and the business case for diversity.   I believe that workforce issues are among the greatest challenges facing the engineering profession in the 21^st century.

As President of a large professional society, I learned the challenges of leading an organization in which volunteers provide the leadership and staff implement the policies and programs.  I believe that achieving a good leadership-staff balance is central to the overall health of any professional society.

As an IEEE Congressional Fellow working in the United States Senate, I learned the skills of advocacy in the legislative environment and gained direct experience in how legislation is developed and promoted.  I have extended those skills in my current role as Director of Government Relations for a major industry association.  Advocacy in the legislative arena is one of the most important roles that IEEE-USA performs on behalf of members.

 
Gordon W. Day
S’66-M’67-SM’78-F’94

Director of Government Relations   Optoelectronics Industry Development Association

g.day@ieee.org