Evansville Business Journal

Up & Comer: Lashone m. Gibson

CAROL WERSICH EBJ staff writer 464-7452 or wersichc@EBJ.biz
Friday, June 2, 2006

Pichi Chuang / EBJ

LaShone M. Gibson

LaShone M. Gibson left no stone unturned when she considered accepting the position of associate director of the University of Evansville Institute for Global Enterprise.

She had ideas for program development, and she inquired of Robert A. Clark, dean of the UE School of Business Administration, whether she would have the freedom to implement those that she deemed imperative.

Clark told her "yes," as long as the ideas were well-thought-out and well-planned and there was funding in the budget to cover them.

"It (interview) kept evolving, and I said, 'I think I need to be here... I've landed my dream job,'" Gibson, 31, recalled.

Shortly after taking the job last year she noticed the area's Spanish-speaking population was growing "by leaps and bounds" but there was widespread miscommunication between workers who spoke Spanish and their employers.

Gibson arranged for workshops with human resource executives that were held this past March for the general business community.

Gibson now is planning an executive summit to help enlighten the business community on issues such as work force integration strategies and how language and culture impact business negotiations.

She also is working with the Tri-State World Trade Council to establish a trade mission to help area companies that would like to get involved with international markets.

Q: Did you work somewhere before joining UE?

GIBSON: I had a fantastic job with the Latin American Division of SASCO, Inc., a specialty advertising firm based in Charlotte, N.C.

For the company I designed promotional toys that went inside cereal boxes in Central and South America where the sales focus was more on the cartoon character inside the box than on the nutrition value of the cereal.

I also was a special assistant for the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C.

Q: Where did you grow up?

GIBSON: Mostly in the Chicago area, though I traveled abroad extensively with my parents (Reginald and Gloria Gibson, now of Evansville) who used to live in Europe.

Q: Where did you attend school?

GIBSON: Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Ill., where I was the first black female class president.

I received a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international business and a certificate of Spanish translation from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. I received a master's degree in international studies from North Carolina State University.

But, I actually started my foreign language training when I was about 9 years old and was keen on people who spoke in different languages. I had to know what they were saying.

Q: Did you have opportunities to study abroad?

GIBSON: Yes, in Costa Rica and at Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, among other places that let me really kick into gear the blending of my foreign language training with business training.

Q: How many different foreign languages do you speak today?

GIBSON: I'm fluent in Spanish and I can speak basic conversation in French and Portuguese.

Q: Have there been any surprises in your UE job?

GIBSON: I joined the faculty this past semester. I had had no idea I was going to be in the classroom.

Q: How did you enjoy the experience?

GIBSON: It was a complete blast and a good fit for me as I could convey my own life experiences, which gave me lots of credibility with the students. I just didn't teach the course (Survey of Global Business) from the text to the undergraduate students.

Q: What outside activities do you enjoy?

GIBSON: I still find time to hang out with friends back in North Carolina, or in New York or Chicago, and I also like to shop. I'm a little bit of a shopaholic.

Q: What advice do you have for students wanting to go into some global business field?

GIBSON: Learn the Spanish and Chinese languages.

Associate yourself with international business associations in your community to build relationships with people who have first-hand perspectives.

Study abroad like crazy. Definitely take yourself out of the country for a while to work and experience a culture that is different from yours.