Mr. Gleason is the Chairman of Gleason Corporation, a privately held machine tool manufacturing company with 2,400 employees in 25 different countries, founded by his great-grandfather in 1865. Mr. Gleason served as CEO of the Corporation from 1981 until 2002 when he stepped down from that position, remaining active as Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Gleason served as Chairman of the Association for Manufacturing Technology and as a Director of the American Gear Manufacturers Association. Within the Rochester community he has served as a Director and Chairman of the Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce and as Chairman of the Rochester Business Alliance. He is an Honorary Trustee of the Rochester Institute of Technology as well as a Life Trustee of the University of Rochester. He was a former President of the Board of Trustees of The Allendale Columbia School and of the Board of True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School where he remains a Trustee.

Mr. Gleason holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Rochester.