Category:
Business &
Economic Development
Lori Jones Gibbs
Vice President
Community Development Banking Market Manager –The Carolinas
PNC Bank
Durham, NC
BA – University of Connecticut, MA- University of Bridgeport
SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE (SM): Describe what makes you a successful leader in the area for which
you were honored?
Lori Jones Gibbs (LJG): I am only successful as a leader due to the support and encouragement
I receive from colleagues and friends. My family, friends and colleagues support and contribute
immensely to my personal and professional success. Professionally, I am blessed, honored and
privileged to be in a position that enables me to support my employer’s goals while helping to
improve the lives of others.
SM: Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe
someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?
LJG: In addition to my parents, there are many who have helped shape my life and
develop my leadership skills. I give the early credit to my beloved Aunt Jessie. Although,
Aunt Jessie had an eighth grade education, she was wise and conscious. She established
the first urban garden in my hometown and also started a soup kitchen to feed the
working poor. Aunt Jessie never took no for an answer. She taught me the importance
of being part of the solution and not the problem. Aunt Jessie, lived by the creed “We
are all God’s children, each one teach one and we are our brothers’ keeper”. She had
a tremendous impact on the determination I display as I go about a task.
SM: What problem or condition in your respective field do you want to solve
or improve?
LJG: The problem I would solve is poverty and the condition I would
end is homelessness. Poverty is defined by Webster as the state or
condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support;
condition of being poor. Poverty leads to many societal challenges,
crime, hardships, self-esteem issues and inequities. If you are poor you
are more likely to be or become homeless. You live in communities
that are not the safest and you pay more for goods and services. It
is unfortunate that a person’s financial status is a major barometer
of the opportunities or lack thereof they may have in life.
SM: What legacy will you like to leave behind?
LJG: The importance of receiving a quality education and
remaining resilient. I am a firm believer that education is the
great equalizer. It can help level the playing field. However
education alone will only get you a degree. You must have the
personal desire and resilience to make your education work for you.
Remain focused on your goals and never self-eliminate. Do not let
the detours of life, and there will be many, prevent you from achieving
your goals. Be determined, be flexible, and be resilient.
www.spectacularmag.com | November 2014 | SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
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