People:Staff

Gerry Goertz

Gerry Goertz has been the Executive Director of Leadership Asheville since November 2003.  He brings to LA a steadfast commitment to improving the greater Asheville area by strengthening citizens’ community leadership.  Gerry has 20 years experience working in the private sector and includes in his portfolio a strong background in change management/leadership, product development/innovation and organizational design/strategy.  He also is an adjunct Assistant Professor at UNC Asheville where he teaches leadership studies courses.  

Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Director of Financial Advisory and Fee-based Services at UBS.   In this position, he was responsible for the development and management of the Firm’s fee-based brokerage, financial planning and wealth management services.  During his 11 years at UBS, Gerry served as Director of Specialized Investment Services and Private Investments departments.  His responsibilities also included serving in a leadership capacity in various projects for the Private Client Group such as: organizing a strategic planning process, serving on a four-person steering committee for a re-engineering task force, participating in an examination of the client service model, designing new financial advisor workstations, and building the intranet.  Gerry was also a member of Securities Industry Association Direct Participation Program Committee and served on the Investment Program Association’s Board of Trustees.      

Prior to joining UBS, Gerry was a partner in a real estate investment advisory firm that provided acquisition/disposition and asset management services to clients headquartered primarily in the Far East.  Prior to his work there, Gerry was the president of investment funds owning a real estate portfolio valued in excess of $1 billion.
 
Gerry and his wife Robin (who lived most of their lives in Tennessee) and their daughter Ginny (who is very proud of her New Jersey roots) have been living in Asheville for about 6 years.  Current community activities include serving on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Western North Carolina and on the Advisory Board of WNCAP.

Gerry received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his law degree and MBA from the University of Memphis. He also attended the London and Russia-Poland Institutes of the University of San Diego law school.