Education and learning were things that always motivated Kevan Gibson, our Lead Dad of the Week from outside of Worcester, Mass.
But like many, Kevan graduated from a top liberal arts college and went into finance. He hated it. When his wife Linda, a lawyer who also went into financial services, began traveling more for work, he opted to make a career shift and became a private school administrator. It gave him a schedule that worked well when their daughter and son were born. (They’re 31 and 29 today.)
“The first real challenge was when people looked at me back then and doubted I could do something because I was a man,” Kevan said. “There was always a salesperson or a waitress who would look at me and say let me help you. I’d say no we’re good. I do this all the time. You have to show them that you’ve got this.”
As his wife’s career demanded more travel and more time away, Kevan stepped away from education to be a full-on Lead Dad. The challenges weren’t in the parenting, but in the social interactions.
“You spend so much time taking the kids to and from school and you’re interacting with moms all the time. At a certain point I was lacking that social interaction with other guys. That’s why golf became important to me as a way to interact with other guys.”
Kevan had never played golf growing up – he was a swimmer. An ardent student, he took to the sport but not just play golf while his kids were in school. He immersed himself in golf history and architecture. He connected with people doing new things around golf, like the former Yale golf coach Colin Sheehan who started The Outpost Club. He became involved in a project led by PGA Tour pro Zach Blair to build Tree Farm, a club in South Carolina voted one of the best new courses in the United States.
“Golf became this mental construct,” Kevan said. “For me it was an additional way to continue to learn. It’s been an education on how to understand people.”
Today he has advice for men stepping into this role, men who want to be there for their family but also worry about the social stigma.
“Don’t be so concerned with what you think other people think of you,” he said. “Even if this isn’t the role society might see for you, this is the role that you’re doing and do it to the best of your ability. If you don’t pay attention to that role, you’re missing the biggest opportunity to have an impact on someone’s life.”
His wife’s career has continued to soar – she’s now the chief executive of PGIM Quantitative Solutions. And he said she’s been supportive of his love of golf – within reason. “There’s a certain amount of balance you have to strike,” he said.
That’s advice for just about any relationship. Welcome, Kevan, to The Company of Dads.
