Eric Gertler - Bio
Eric Gertler’s Current Role
Eric Gertler currently serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News & World Report, the nation’s leading news authority on rankings and expert guidance on life decisions, where he has overall responsibility for both the editorial and business operations of this multifaceted digital media company. The company reaches nearly 450 million people annually.
Eric Gertler’s Prior Role at Empire State Development (ESD)
Prior to his current role, Eric served as Commissioner/President & CEO-designate of Empire State Development (ESD), New York State’s principal economic development agency, during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had previously been confirmed by the New York Senate to serve on the ESD board. Eric’s tenure at the helm of ESD was characterized by four main priorities:
- Meeting the unprecedented economic needs of New York State arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, providing operational guidance to New York businesses to assist them through the height of the Covid-19 crisis and the reopening; sourcing PPE equipment and developing testing initiatives; and developing financial incentives and miscellaneous recovery and loan programs to relaunch New York State’s economy;
- Completing critical infrastructure projects including Moynihan Train Hall; the Javits Center expansion; announcement of National Urban League HQ; opening of Legoland; and the redevelopment of the UBS Arena at Belmont;
- Attracting companies to New York State and expanding job growth including, among others, Cree Wolfspeed, Beam Suntory and Regeneron; and
- Implementing economic initiatives with long-term benefits including the largest small business assistance program in the history of New York State; the highest state minority and women business owned enterprise utilization rate in the country; various climate control actions, broadband programs, as well as life science, film production and marketing initiatives.
Eric had an earlier stint in government as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and as Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under multiple mayoral administrations. He was responsible for spurring economic development by managing more than 100 initiatives and directing hundreds of millions of dollars of city investments into the local economy. Eric spearheaded the city’s $150 million life science fund and associated programs to accelerate the life sciences industry in New York City, oversaw development of the city’s tech platform called digital.ny and expanded the BigApps civic competition. The comprehensive suite of initiatives under his supervision included job growth programs, investment funds, incubators, training and mentorship programs, and public-private partnerships.
Eric Gertler’s Professional Background and Recognitions
These programs encompassed a broad range of industry sectors including life sciences, healthcare, finance, non-profit, media, technology, manufacturing and clean-tech.
Concurrent with his role at U.S. News, Eric served as Co-Chairman and Co-Publisher of the New York Daily News from 2015 to 2017. During this time, the newspaper expanded its digital capabilities and reach, partnering with other organizations to market the newspaper as well as to bolster its news coverage in New York City. During Eric’s stewardship of the newspaper, the New York Daily News and ProPublica were jointly honored with a Pulitzer Prize, in the category of public service journalism for an investigative series undertaken primarily by Daily News reporter Sarah Ryley. Eric subsequently engineered the 2017 sale of the newspaper to the Tribune Company.
Eric is also a Managing Partner of investment fund Ulysses Ventures, a multi-strategy investment fund that invests in both early and growth stage companies. He also oversees the Zuckerman Family Office and serves as Trustee to the Zuckerman Family Foundation.
He sits on various boards of a number of universities and institutions, including at The Center for Public Leadership at The Harvard Kennedy School, The Technion-Israel Institute, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute. He is also a Trustee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Chairman of the American-Israel Friendship League; a Member of Young Presidents’ Organization (and former Chair of the Metro NY Chapter); and a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Eric is the recipient of a number of recognitions. In 2024, Eric was one of the recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society, embodying the values of patriotism, diversity, and inclusion. In 2023, the 5Boro Institute presented Eric with its Leadership Award “in recognition of his lasting work and impact on the future of New York City”. In 2022, the Center for an Urban Future honored Eric with its Spirit of New York Award; in 2017, the Carnegie Corporation of New York honored Eric as one of the nation’s Great Immigrants. City and State Magazine named Eric to the following lists: The 2016 Responsible 100 List honoring corporate and social responsibility, The 2020 Albany Power List, The 2021 Albany Power List, and The 2021 Real Estate Power 100. In addition, Eric was named to The 2020 Power List published by Long Island Press.
Earlier in his career, he held other leadership roles at the intersection of technology, data and media sectors. Gertler led a number of cutting-edge technology companies including serving as CEO of Altruik (search optimization), PrimeAxis Media (content aggregation/rankings), and Privista (identity theft protection), all of which were subsequently acquired. In media, Gertler served concurrently in the late 1990s as President of the three media properties U.S. News & World Report, Fast Company and The Atlantic, for which he managed day-to-day operations with a focus on expanding into new online areas and conferences. He began his career as a corporate and communications attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in its Washington, DC offices.
A graduate of Brown University, Eric holds degrees from the Sorbonne (at University of Paris), the Institut D’Etudes Politiques in Paris, with honors, and a law degree, with honors, from American University (where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review). He also has an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University.