After 12 years at the helm and two global crises, the president and chief executive officer of the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) is setting sail to calmer seas.
The former naval warfare officer and self-proclaimed "policy guy" sizes up his legacy in a one-on-one discussion with Jo Isenberg-O'Loughlin.
As a boy, all Thomas J "Tom" Gibson ever wanted to do "was fly an airplane and be an astronaut," the president and chief executive officer of the Washington DC-based AISI recalled recently, sharing early dreams of what was to become a four-decade-long professional career he will bring to a close in the autumn of this year.
"The flying part didn't work out," says Gibson, 63, who announced his intention to retire in early March after serving as the AISI's top executive for 12 years. "My eyes went bad in my senior year in high school," he explains. "My left eye was tested at 20/30. And, in those days, that was disqualifying for aviation."
A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Gibson holds a degree...