HE ARRIVED ON CAMPUS WITH $20, NOW LEADS ALMA MATER’S FOUNDATION BOARD BY [ Kathy TIMES ]
More than 30 years ago, JEMAL GIBSON traveled from Chicago to Tallahassee to enroll at Florida A&M University (FAMU). He only had $20 in his pocket and no financial aid or housing. Born to drug-addicted parents in Chicago, his prospects for success were slim. Despite the odds against him, Gibson thrived at FAMU. He parlayed his education and life lessons into opportunities that resulted into an impressive ascension through the corporate ranks. Today, Gibson is Vice President of Sales at McKesson, a Fortune 10 company. In recognition of his support of the FAMU Foundation’s work to attract high-end funders and partners, Gibson was recently elected to a second term as Board chairman of the FAMU Foundation. The non-profit’s staff and Board manage a $140-million endowment — the largest of any public Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Reflecting on the unanimous vote of confi-
dence by the 31-member Board, Gibson said, “I am truly honored to lead such an extremely talented group of individuals who are passionately connected to FAMU. We developed a new vision statement: to be a global leader in the transformation of lives — one scholar at a time. This vision statement illustrates our focus is not just on how we rank among HBCUs but, all universities.” Gibson is applying the knowledge that he has acquired as an executive at such top-tier corporations as Pfizer and the Mayo Clinic, to help the nation’s top-ranked public HBCU continue rising. He credits FAMU with not only transforming his life, but also saving it. Despite living with six different families and attending 11 schools, a determined Gibson excelled and graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet School, former First Lady Michelle Obama’s alma mater. He received his FAMU acceptance letter two days before the school year started in 1987. The freshman hitched a long ride to Tallahassee with friends without understanding how to fund his education. Fortunately, a FAMU administrator helped Gibson find housing and secure an Army ROTC scholarship. That ROTC uniform came in handy. With no discretionary funds available to purchase a suit, Gibson says he was the first to wear a military uniform to forums where corporate CEOs and executives spoke to School of Business and Industry (SBI) students throughout the semester. In 1993, Gibson graduated with honors from FAMU. He returned to his alma mater in 2012 to establish a scholarship program that provides hundreds of new suits to SBI students in need. While serving as the University’s commencement speaker in 2016, he announced a pledge of $100,000 to fund the Jemal Gibson and Family Endowed Scholarship.
High-Achieving Scholars Seeking Out FAMU and HBCUs
FAMU is attracting record numbers of high-achieving freshmen. According to the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, freshmen admitted to FAMU for the fall of 2021 had an average GPA of 3.87. Like Gibson, many are first-generation college students. The FAMU Foundation reported receiving $3.2 million more in donations this year when compared to the same time last year. Still more funds, such as multi-million-dollar dona-
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tions, corporate partnerships, endowed chairs, grants, and legacy gifts are needed to keep the endowment healthy. Income from investments help to fund scholarships and other programs used to attract and retain the best and brightest students. Remembering his journey, Gibson said, “The reality is that students are in a greater need than they are willing to tell people. Many of them come from difficult situations, and they just want to fit in. Even when you ask them, they’ll gloss over it. We have to understand that college students, especially those coming from very challenging situations, will always need our help.” Gibson hopes to spur creative philanthropy along with traditional major gifts. “Instead of telling somebody what to do, the best thing is for people to ask themselves ‘What can I do to change a life?’” said Gibson. “That’s where the creativity comes in. When I started the suit scholarship, someone else started a shoe scholarship.”
Leading Transformation During a Global Pandemic
During his first term from 2019-2020, Gibson and Board directors focused on enhancing their engagement, effectiveness, and efficiencies. They conducted a board survey consisting of more than 60 questions utilizing parameters that measured success for foundation boards. Gibson said, “When we got the results back from that survey, we saw how we could improve See Gibson, continued on page 45
