[1] Gerson is the executive vice president of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C.
[citation needed] He practiced law as the Deputy Attorney General of Connecticut where he argued cases including in the State and U.S. Supreme Courts, and briefly before that in private practice in Hartford, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Gerson then entered the financial services industry where he rose to Executive Vice President of The Travelers Corporation and President of its managed healthcare and health insurance business, and was briefly Executive Vice President for successor companies MetraHealth and United Health Care.
In 2021 Gerson Chaired the Judges' Panel of the Foundation’s inaugural Äänit Prize,[3] which supports initiatives that can deliver positive social impact for Africa’s most marginalized populations.
Gerson was appointed by Trust CEO and Warden Sir Anthony Kenny in 1998 as its fifth American Secretary, following David Alexander, and stepped down in 2023.
In 2014, for his contribution to the University of Oxford, Gerson was recognized as a "Distinguished Friend of Oxford.” He still serves on the Scholarship Committee of the Rhodes Trustees.
Active over his career in a wide range of community activities, particularly in the arts, humanities and social services, Gerson served as president of the Hartford Stage Company, president of The Hartford Courant Foundation, and trustee of Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network.
His current Board service includes The Aspen Institute International Partners in Germany, Japan, Ukraine, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
His mother, Elizabeth Shanley Gerson, was born in New York City in 1928 to Irish immigrants and was soon orphaned.