Region 2 Leadership

Regional Administrator — Northeast and Caribbean Region

Francis A. Thomas

Francis (Fran) A. Thomas was appointed by President Joe Biden to be the Regional Administrator of the United States General Services Administration’s New England Region and Northeast and Caribbean Region.

Fran comes to GSA with an extensive background in property management.
Prior to joining GSA, he served as senior director at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency where he oversaw the Performance Based Contract Administration Initiative consisting of over 300 contracts and over 40,000 units.

Fran also previously held roles there as the Chief of Property Disposition and the Assistant Director of Property Management. During his tenure, Fran received the Walter Kreher Distinguished Service Award and the National Affordable Housing Management Association Industry Partner Award, among others.

He serves as the Chairman of the Deacons Ministry of the Historic Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey and has served in the ministry for over 25 years. Fran also serves as Chairman of the Shiloh Baptist Church Community Development Corporation.

Fran is a Life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is a 50-year member and remains active with the Trenton Alumni Chapter.

He and his wife Sheila are parents of two daughters and grandparents of four grandchildren.

Fran enjoys all sports and is a traveling softball pop-pop, as he travels with his 9-year-old granddaughter’s softball team. When time permits, Fran, an avid golfer, enjoys a round of golf with friends and family.

Regional Commissioner — Public Buildings Service

Michael Gelber

Michael Gelber became Regional Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Northeast and Caribbean Region on Aug. 12, 2019.Mr. Gelber is responsible for leadership and oversight of approximately 430 Federal employees, a real estate portfolio of more than 70 federally owned facilities, and 22 million square feet of Government-owned and leased space throughout northern New Jersey, New York, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Prior to his current position, Mr. Gelber served as the Deputy Commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service for six years. In that role he was the Service’s Chief Operating Officer, helping to oversee the work of over 5,000 Federal employees and an annual budget in excess of $10 billion.

His other previous senior leadership positions included GSA’s Regional Commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service in the Pacific Rim Region (based in San Francisco, California), the Federal Acquisition Service Regional Commissioner in the Northwest/Arctic Region (based in Auburn, Washington), as well as Deputy Regional Administrator, Assistant Regional Administrator and Deputy Regional Commissioner in the Great Lakes Region (based in Chicago, Illinois). He began his GSA career in 1988 as a Project Manager and Facilities Planner.

Mr. Gelber became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2009. In 2016, he earned the Presidential Rank Award of distinguished executive. Mr. Gelber is a graduate of Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in history, and he attended the University of Chicago.