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“Love what you do, and you’ll
be able to give 110 percent,” she says. “Basketball is where
I come from, and it’s who I am.”
As her career moves forward, Gibbons has not benched her love of athletics. In May 2008, she joined PUMA North America as retail marketing coordinator for its 107-plus stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Shevon Gibbons ’05, ’07 MBA may not be sporting her #32 Bentley basketball jersey anymore, but she still lives by the lessons that made her a leader on the court.
“It’s a challenge that there’s no one else doing this particular job for PUMA in North America,” Gibbons admits. “But I see it as an opportunity to create my own position and make a huge impact.”
Arriving from a highly structured advertising agency, the alumna is inspired by the flexibility of her new position. “In a sense, I need to create my own structure,” she says, noting that she spends about 15 percent of her time on the road, visiting the company’s stores. “Each market is very
different, and my goal is to create a marketing strategy to reflect that.”
Gibbons credits both Bentley academics and athletics for supplying the skills that have fostered success. “In the classroom and on the court, I needed to be a team player and work with a number of different personalities to reach a goal.”
While studying for her MBA, Gibbons served as graduate assistant coach for the Bentley women’s basketball program. The role involved helping team members juggle the demands of being a collegiate basketball player — both on and off the court. “I became part of the team in a different capacity, and learned skills that have helped in my career.”
Having landed what she calls a “dream job” working for a sports apparel company, Gibbons is a booster for allowing personal interests to shape career goals.
“It’s imperative to be passionate about your career because that’s the only way that you can truly succeed,” she observes. “If you like what you do, you’ll go the extra mile to get the job done.” Kristen L. Walsh
Julie A. O’Brien ’94 MBA, Los Gatos, Calif., has been promoted to director of solutions marketing at Cisco Systems Inc. O’Brien leads the team responsible for strategies for Web 2.0 communities and relationships with press, analysts, customers, consultants and user groups in the unified communication industry.
Blake C. Ellison, Framingham, Mass., has moved his practice from UBS Financial in Boston to join Morgan
Stanley’s global wealth management group in Westborough, Mass. He has an additional focus on intergenerational wealth transfer and gifting strategies to benefit children, grandchildren and charities.
Venkat K. Murty, Irvine, Calif., has been named in Dealerscope magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” list of emerging talent in the consumer electronics industry for 2008. Murty is vice president and SellPath general manager at Channel Intelligence Inc.
Vitale, Caturano & Company Ltd. has announced the promotion of Regina M. Golden ’00 MST, Quincy, Mass., to vice president of learning and development.
Julie A. O’Brien ’MBA, ’92 BS, Los Gatos, Calif., has been promoted to director of solutions management for Cisco Systems Inc. Her team oversees strategies for Web 2.0 communities and relationships with press, analysts, customers, consultants and user groups in the unified communication industry.
DiCicco, Gulman & Company has promoted Jonathan B. Farrell, Salisbury, Mass., to principal. The CPA and business consulting firm specializes in accounting and financial matters for private companies.
Mark P. Paquin ’MST, Dennis Port, Mass., has been promoted to principal at the Boston-area CPA and business advisory firm of Rucci, Bardaro & Barrett.
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