Featured Alumni: Neil Gibson

Neil grew up in Lucerne Valley, CA and was admitted as a member of the third SFHC cohort.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 with a degree in Agricultural Business and a minor in Classical Studies.  Neil served as Fresno State Student Body President, was a Maddy Scholar, and was awarded the President’s Medal.  

After graduation, Neil studied and worked in China before attending Johns Hopkins University to pursue a master’s degree in international relations.  In 2009, he joined the U.S. Department of State as a diplomat.  Neil is fluent in Chinese and Japanese and has represented the United States in the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Iraq.  He is currently assigned to Paris at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  

As a U.S. diplomat, Neil has led international negotiations, adjudicated international adoptions, directed an overseas crisis response, built multilateral coalitions, engaged foreign print and television media, and even visited arrested Americans in prison.  He has supported international visits by two U.S. Presidents, a Vice President, and several Cabinet-level officials. The Department of State has awarded Neil with a Superior Honor Award and several Meritorious Honor Awards for his distinguished service.  Neil and his wife, Momo, have three sons: Troy (14), Truman (10), and Owen (7). 

Personal Reflection:

Fresno State is awesome!  The Smittcamp Family Honors College is the best honors program in the country – bar none.  Fresno State faculty and staff are exceptional and I consider myself blessed by their mentorship.  The late Dr. Stephen Rodemeyer instilled calm, kindness, and humor.  Dr. Nora Chapman (then my Greek Professor, now Dean of Humanities) pushed me to expand my horizons.  The late Professor of Agriculture Economics Dr. John Shields inspired me to engage in international affairs.  Business Professor Dr. Priscilla Chaffe-Stengel taught me the art of bureaucratic jujitsu.  SFHC coordinators Lisa Hardamon and Stephanie Roby made the entire Fresno State experience like being a part of a family.  The list goes on…

The friendships made at Fresno State are lifelong.  Despite living overseas for over a decade now, I still keep in close touch with our crew.  Four SFHC friends and their families are staying with me in Paris this month alone.  I’m so proud to see all the amazing things our crazy group is now doing: author, physician, city attorney, school administrator, data engineer, general counsel, two professors, two elected officials, two marketing managers, and two public servants.  Incredible! 

I am extremely grateful to Fresno State and the Smittcamp Family Honors College.