Grand Canyon University Provost Dr. Randy Gibb received the Inspiration in Leadership Award Thursday night at the Western Maricopa Coalition’s Best of the West event at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Gibb, named GCU’s provost in 2022, was one of three individuals or projects the WESTMARC Board of Directors recognized for inspiring leadership. Jeanine Jerkovic of the city of Surprise received the President’s Choice Award, and Arizona State University’s West Valley Forward received the Regional Advancement Award.
In accepting the accolade, Gibb spoke about the amazing team he works with that “pours into students,” and of two leaders who have influenced him.
“They also have a heart to serve,” he said of his GCU team. “We all follow the leadership of President Brian Mueller. He’s an amazing, innovative mind who drives us to solve problems for society with education.
“I’ve also had the pleasure to work with and get to know Jerry Colangelo as a friend and a mentor. So between him and President Mueller, it’s all about thinking big and doing excellence at scale.”
Sports business icon Jerry Colangelo, who was the head of USA Basketball and the owner of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and numerous other sports franchises, worked closely with Gibb to build the Colangelo College of Business. The college, renamed in 2014 when Gibb became dean, is celebrating its 10th year as Colangelo’s namesake.
Colangelo said of Gibb via video at the event, “He demonstrated leadership in spades. We kind of joined together to build and grow the college of business. We built a building and we needed to fill it. I believe the numbers (of students) quadrupled in just a very short period of time.”
Dr. Allison Mason, senior associate dean of the college, said of Gibb’s leadership over his decade at GCU, “Dr. Gibb shows he’s a great leader because he truly cares. He cares more than just about the job and the work that gets done. He cares about the people and their success, not only their success in work, but also in play.
“When Dr. Gibb became the provost, he really empowered us to become more creative and innovative with what we do in our programs, in our curriculum, and that has really helped us to grow our program.”
Since 2014, the college’s campus enrollment has increased 288%, from 1,965 to 7,627 students, and the number of graduates has soared 176%, from 1,922 to 5,311.
Paul Lambertson, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, knew Gibb from their days leading programs and departments at the Air Force Academy. Lambertson said the provost is a true example of a servant leader.
“This is kind of what we do. This is who we are,” Lambertson said of the kind of leaders, like Gibb, who help define GCU. “That servant leadership is everything.”
GCU alumnus Weston Smith, founder of Lux Precision Manufacturing, credited Gibb with helping him get his start in the business world. Smith’s business, Lux Precision Manufacturing, makes parts for the aerospace, defense and medical industries and is housed at Canyon Ventures, which supports start-up businesses.
“Underneath the visionary leadership of Dr. Gibb, I was blessed to get my first space as an entrepreneur for my business and was blessed to be one of the first businesses inside of Canyon Ventures.”
Tim Kelley, chair of entrepreneurship at GCU, said what makes Gibb stand out is his humility: “He has the ability to listen and, at the same time, guide you toward excellence, like no person that I’ve had the privilege of working with. He’s extraordinary.”
In 2021, GCU was recognized by WESTMARC with the West Valley Regional Advancement Award, which honors an entity that has strengthened and transformed the West Valley’s position for economic growth.
Also honored at Thursday’s Best of the West in the following categories were:
- Economic Engine: Village at Prasada, a 700,000-square-foot retail, restaurant and entertainment space in Surprise
- Emerging Leader: Jordan Dodeward, strategic operations manager with the state of Arizona
- Excellence in Education and Workforce Development: Buckeye Union High School District’s Career and Technical Education program, which prepares students for high-demand careers through hands-on learning
- Excellence in Innovation: Glendale Community College’s Gaucho Security Operations Center, which employs cybersecurity students to monitor, detect and inform community partners of potential security threats to their network
- Quality of Life Enhancement: Valleywise Health First Episode Center in Avondale, which treats psychotic illness
The Best of the West Awards is the signature event of the West Valley, designed to celebrate the best of Western Maricopa County and recognize outstanding contributions to the quality of life, education, workforce development, economic development and innovation in the West Valley.
Gibb, looking at the bigger picture outside of GCU, said, “We are all here together to improve life for everybody here in the West Valley in Phoenix and Arizona. We want to lift up Arizona. We want to improve everybody’s socioeconomic status. It’s all about human flourishing.”
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