The CPRO Board of Directors at its February 23rd meeting voted to elect three new members – David Orr, Linda LeDuc and Tom Gibson – who will fill board positions available respectively as Business, Civic and At-Large representatives.
David Orr heads Orr Partners, the development firm about to start construction at the ‘Food Star’ site at Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive. Linda LeDuc, who served for ten years as president of the Arlington Mill Civic Association, is a long-time community activist on the Pike’s west end. Tom Gibson is an urban redevelopment and military professional with extensive real estate and leadership experience in both the private and public sectors.
They succeed former CPRO president John Murphy, CEO of Washington Workplace, and Krysta Jones, founder and TV show host for the Virginia Leadership Institute. Many thanks to John for his 10 years of service and to Krysta for her representation of the Arlington Mill community.
David Orr, founder and Principal-in-Charge of Orr Partners, possesses 40 years of experience and has been involved in over 20 million square feet of construction projects. Mr. Orr began his career with one of the world’s largest construction companies, Morse Diesel, where he oversaw in New York City projects such as the Park Lane Hotel in Central Park South and 88 Pine Street.
After relocating back to the Washington, DC area, Mr. Orr was hired by Marriott International to supervise construction of Marriott Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. He gained additional experience with Richmarr Construction and as a Partner for Lee Sammis Associates, where he directed their Washington, DC offices and managed the development of 14 master planned office parks.
In 1988, Mr. Orr founded David Orr Associates, predecessor to Orr Partners, which has grown to be one of the Washington metropolitan area’s top development and project management firms. In 2006, Orr Partners was named to the Washington Business Journal’s Top 10 commercial real estate developers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Orr Partners has established a reputation for providing all of its clients with the highest quality of independent, impartial, and professional advice and project management expertise. David maintains oversight of the company’s upcoming projects and serves as Principal-in-Charge on key projects. He has been involved in over 35,000,000 SF of construction projects.
Mr. Orr’s primary function as Principal is to provide the firm’s clients with the highest quality of construction and project management services. He brings an extraordinary depth of expertise, creativity, and technical skills and is particularly strong in his knowledge of construction and in contract negotiation. He is recognized for a number of innovations in construction and program management including procedures with cost estimating and analysis, scheduling, contract management, and communications.
Linda LeDuc, a community leader in the Arlington Mill community on the west end of Columbia Pike, is a native of Rhode Island. Before moving to Arlington, she worked for the Rhode Island State government until she arrived in D.C. to work for the Department of Defense. After 3 ½ years at the Pentagon, she traveled around Europe, then worked with the U.S. Dependents High School in Wiesbaden, Germany for 2 ½ years. Returning to D.C., she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and traveled to a number of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Before her retirement, her last position at USAID was Assistant Desk Officer for the West Bank/Gaza program.
She is very active in the Arlington Mill community and has served in a number of positions, including membership on Arlington County’s Community Development Block Grant Program’s Citizen Advisory Committee (CDCAC). She chaired the Arlington Mill Community Center Steering Committee, working to see the completion of Columbia Pike’s newest community center, and served for ten years as President of the Arlington Mill Civic Association. She is currently a member of the Arlington Mill Senior Advisory Committee and is actively engaged in working to bring new programs, activities and improvements to the west end of Columbia Pike, including the possibility of a farmers market. She belongs to two reading discussion groups, and enjoys crafting, playing cards, and going to the theater, among a variety of other activities.
Thomas A. Gibson, IV, brings a multi-faceted background of real estate and leadership experience to the CPRO Board. Currently a Project Director for Winn Development in Washington, D.C., he formerly served with the District of Columbia government as a project manager in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
In addition to his civilian work in real estate development, Mr. Gibson also serves as a Captain (Select) U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, and sits on the Military Advisory Board for the United Soldiers and Sailors of America, an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to providing funding and supplies to the daily lives of combat-wounded veterans.
With extensive experience in urban redevelopment, Mr. Gibson’s professional background includes work in both the private and public sectors with experience in law, finance, military, local government and the nonprofit sector. His career in real estate development has involved complex projects specializing in mixed-income and mixed-use properties requiring public-private partnerships. Projects under his management have included diverse elements of development including historic renovation, new construction, affordable housing, rehabilitation, tenant-purchases, and transit-oriented development. Mr. Gibson has been appointed to the board of the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) as well as Arlington’s Tenant-Landlord Commission.
He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, and an M.A. in real estate finance from Georgetown University. He is currently an Executive MBA candidate at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management and holds professional certifications from both the U.S. Green Building Council and the Project Management Institute. Formerly a resident of the Foxcroft Heights neighborhood, Mr. Gibson currently resides in Alexandria, VA.