The Connect Magazine_Spring 2017

FEATURE
WRITTEN BY: SHAWN WHITSELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BARBARA POTTER
Sheila Gibson Dribbled Her Way from All-American to Corporate America
S
HEILA GIBSON, a once-shy little girl from Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
and self-proclaimed “tomboy,” thrived in the world of sports.
This included softball and a brief stint as a football player.
Running up and down the court, however, is where she found
her true voice - guarding her opponent and scoring baskets.
It would be basketball that would cultivate her as a leader and give
her the kind of confidence that would help make her a high school
All-American - earning her an athletic scholarship to the University of
Alabama-Huntsville, where she was awarded All-American honors as
well. She played there for two years before transferring to the University
of New Orleans, where she continued her collegiate basketball career for
another two years.
“Basketball helped me understand the importance of dedication,
identifying what you want, going for it, sticking to it and working
hard,” she says. In addition to having the support of a hard-working,
dedicated mother and loving family that always made me feel I was the
best thing since sliced bread”.
Gibson had plans to dribble a basketball all the way oversees. This
was pre-WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), so going
abroad was the only option for women in professional basketball. Before
her pro hoop dreams were realized, she suffered a serious knee injury
during her junior year, which resulted in surgery.
She redshirted that year, recovered, worked hard and snagged her
starting position back. However, the first game of the season, she blew
her knee out again.
Though Gibson was able to make a full recovery and continued
playing, the second knee injury was more mentally daunting than the
first. The physical ability of her basketball skills and the confidence
instilled in her at a young age took a huge hit, impacting her dream of
playing overseas. The mental lack of confidence and physical limitations
proved to be one opponent she couldn’t easily beat.
It was then that Gibson, who was already a good student, refocused
her perspective and re-prioritized her goals, taking academics even more
seriously. It wasn’t just her own education she wanted to enhance; she
started tutoring other student athletes as well.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration, Gibson went on to play semi-pro for Athletes in Action
for two years, before trading her basketball uniform for a business suit.
She settled into corporate life at Lockheed Martin (Oak Ridge National
Nuclear and Research Laboratories).
While working there, Gibson discovered a male counterpart, who
was doing the exact same job, was earning more money. She questioned
this - eventually taking the issue to the ethics department. She was told
the difference was due to her co-worker having a master’s degree, which
she did not. So, in true Sheila Gibson fashion, she earned a master’s in
Business Administration and Information Systems from Bristol University.
After graduating, she didn’t receive the raise she worked hard for and
felt she rightfully deserved, but she continued her fight. As with many a
basketball game, she found herself the victor. Lockheed Martin eventually
honored the raise she earned and demanded - including back pay.
30 THE CONNECT MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017 THECONNECTMAGAZINE.COM