JLD Names Kathleen Gibson Sustainer of the Year
The Junior League of Dallas has named Kathleen Gibson of Preston Hollow the 2024 Sustainer of the Year.
Gibson has been involved in the league as assistant provisional project chair, advertising sales force and assistant arrangements chair for the JLD Ball Committee, an issue researcher for the public affairs committee, and a funding ad hoc committee member.
“Kathleen has demonstrated leadership and applied her JLD training personally and professionally for decades and continues to do so,” JLD Sustainer Connie O’Neill said. “Her work has positively impacted countless lives for the better.”
Gibson became president and CEO of Southwestern Medical Foundation in 2012, making her the organization’s 10th president and the first woman to lead the organization in its 80-year history. In 2022, she instituted a CEO succession plan to recruit the next leader and provide time for an orderly transition.
She is credited for transforming Southwestern Medical Foundation by forming committees for the board governance, and leading a $1 billion capital campaign. Gibson has also chaired multiple nonprofit boards and served on numerous committees.
“Kathleen is not just a board member — she is active, involved, and engaged,” O’Neill said. “I have served alongside her on several boards and seen firsthand where she brings creativity to solve issues while also asking the critical questions as a steward of the organization. She has all of the qualities befitting a recipient of this award and is beloved by so many in our community.”
Gibson’s board involvement includes Southwestern Medical Foundation, Texas A&M Foundation, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, Texas Higher Education Foundation, Philanthropy Southwest, Visiting Nurses Association of Texas, and LaunchBio. Her prior board involvement includes organizations like the Dallas Regional Chamber, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, and more.
She has also been recognized by Texas A&M as a Distinguished Alumnus and honored with the Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry and Women’s Legacy Awards. She was also named by the Dallas Business Journal as a Top 25 Industry Leader in “Women in Business” and the Profiles in Diversity Journal in the 10th-annual “Women Worth Watching” edition.
Gibson will be recognized at the 2024 JLD Milestones Luncheon on April 5, 2024, at the Omni Dallas. For more information, visit JLDallas.org/milestones-luncheon.
