April Gibbs

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“Fun-loving friend, proud aunt, and devoted dog mom driven by big personal and professional goals!”

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a Guinness World Record holder for being part of the largest game of knockout with Duke’s Cameron Crazies!

Undergraduate School and Degree: NC State University, BS Business Administration

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Senior Manager of Operational Excellence, HelloFresh

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? NextEra Energy, Juno Beach Florida

Where will you be working after graduation? NextEra Energy, Senior Project Manager – Transmission Development

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Orientation Co-Chair, Forte Fellow, MBAA Student Life Cabinet, Career Fellow, Beer Club Cabinet, Outdoors Club Cabinet, Duke Basketball Graduate Usher

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Last year, I served as Orientation Co-Chair, welcoming 450 new Fuqua MBA students to the Class of 2027. It was a meaningful opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much and to help shape a defining starting point in their Duke experience. We designed the program to lay a strong foundation for the next two years. It culminated in a fireside chat with Coach Kara Lawson that I had the privilege of moderating, which focused on leadership, resilience, and teamwork. It was rewarding to help create an experience that fostered genuine connection, captured the spirit of Team Fuqua, and set the class up to begin business school with energy and purpose!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of the teams I’ve built and the relationships I’ve formed throughout my career. I started as an area manager in an Amazon warehouse, leading a team from a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences very different from my own. That role taught me the importance of truly understanding the people you work alongside, including their motivations, backgrounds, and goals. By taking the time to build trust and identify shared objectives, I was able to help the team leverage its collective strengths and perform at a high level. I’ve carried that mindset with me ever since. I take pride in my ability throughout my career to connect with others, create alignment, and help people grow into the best version of themselves.

Why did you choose this business school? Choosing Duke was ultimately about finding a community that aligned with my values. From the beginning, Team Fuqua stood out for its genuine culture of collaboration, support, and shared success. Team Fuqua wasn’t just something highlighted in marketing materials, but something I felt consistently in conversations with students and alumni. I was looking for a school where people pushed each other to be better while also showing up for one another – and that balance felt rare and important to me.

Being able to live closer to my family made the decision even more meaningful. And, of course, as a lifelong sports fan, the chance to become a Duke basketball fan was the perfect added bonus.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Gráinne Fitzsimons was my favorite MBA professor. I took two of her classes at Fuqua, and what stood out most was her ability to connect insights from psychology and behavioral research to real business decisions. She has a talent for breaking down complex, ambiguous problems by pairing rigorous analysis with clear, compelling storytelling. This made the material both intellectually challenging and immediately practical.

In courses like Negotiations and Ethics, I especially appreciated how she pushed us to think more deeply about human behavior and how incentives, biases, and identity shape the way we lead and make decisions. Her teaching changed the way I approach difficult conversations and high-stakes tradeoffs, and it’s a perspective I know I’ll carry with me throughout my career.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Consumer Behavior was my favorite MBA course. Professor Gavan Fitzsimons brought in a wide range of current research that highlighted just how complex and nuanced consumers really are, and how critical it is for business leaders to understand that complexity when making decisions. From the influence of the five senses to religion and branding, to freedom of choice and the psychology of money, each topic challenged me to think more deeply about why people behave the way they do. I appreciated how the course combined engaging academic research with practical application, showing how businesses can use behavioral insights to make better strategic decisions. It also sharpened my perspective as a leader, helping me better understand the motivations and decision-making processes of the teams and individuals I work with.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back on my MBA experience, one thing I would have done differently is join Fuqua on Board. While I chose to pursue other extracurricular activities that were meaningful to me, I’ve heard from classmates that Fuqua on Board was an incredibly impactful experience. The opportunity to learn firsthand how boards operate while also giving back and building deeper connections within the Durham community is unique. In hindsight, being part of that program would have allowed me to broaden my leadership perspective and engage with the community in a more meaningful way.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? The most impactful case study I experienced in business school was in my negotiations class, where we completed a three-part simulation negotiating a union contract between union representatives and company management. The case highlighted how complex negotiations can be, especially when you’re trying to maintain strong relationships while working toward a win-win outcome. It showed me that negotiations aren’t just about “winning,” but about truly understanding the other side’s priorities and constraints. I learned that the best negotiators are active listeners, clear communicators, and strategic thinkers who stay composed and are willing to compromise for the greater good in order to reach a sustainable agreement.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Living in Durham for two years gave me a whole new appreciation for the city. As a native North Carolinian, I had spent time there before, but being fully immersed in the community helped me see how vibrant and dynamic a smaller city can be. If I had to choose my favorite part of Durham, though, it would be the food scene!

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? This year, I took a tax class with Professor Scott Dyreng, and participated in a pilot program that integrated AI directly into the classroom experience. We used AI to analyze class participation with the goal of eventually receiving personalized feedback on our understanding of key concepts, which offered a unique and data-driven perspective on our learning. I found it incredibly powerful to gain insights from patterns and analysis that wouldn’t otherwise be visible. Beyond participation feedback, we also used AI tools to research topics, collaborate on assignments, and explore material beyond the textbook in ways that suited our individual learning styles. The experience gave me a new appreciation for how expansive and transformative AI can be in an academic setting, and beyond!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire my roommate, Jacqueline Yang. She came to business school from a nontraditional background and has embraced the MBA experience wholeheartedly, both academically and socially. Jacqueline approaches every class with curiosity and intention, while also fully engaging in the community around her. Beyond her accomplishments, what truly sets her apart is her character: she is not only an exceptional classmate, but also one of the most thoughtful and caring people I’ve ever met.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top two things on my professional bucket list are both about impact in different ways. First, I really want to lead an affinity group at my company to help build the kind of culture I’m excited to be part of. It would be one where people feel supported, connected, and encouraged to grow. I’d especially love to mentor younger employees and help them navigate their careers with confidence. Second, I’m really looking forward to making my first deal on the Transmission team at NextEra. Being directly involved in projects that support our nation’s secure energy transition would be such a meaningful milestone for me, and it would feel incredible to contribute to something that big and important.

What made April such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“April Gibbs is a standout student leader in the Daytime MBA Class of 2026 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. As one of five student co-chairs selected to plan and deliver Orientation for incoming MBA students, April played a pivotal role in shaping the experience of new students and welcoming them to the Fuqua community.

From the very first Orientation planning meeting, April combined forward thinking with decisive action. She embraced the complexity of planning Orientation socials, Section Olympics, logistical details, and more with clarity, enthusiasm, and a deep sense of responsibility. In addition to leading her assigned areas with excellence, April consistently stepped forward to take on initiatives that lacked clear ownership, including rallying her second-year peers to join the Orientation Team. Behind the scenes, she assumed responsibility for projects that had no clear “home,” and was not deterred from putting in many hours towards extra tasks.

A particularly memorable moment during Orientation was watching April on stage in Fuqua’s largest auditorium interviewing Coach Kara Lawson, head coach of Duke Women’s Basketball, who served as our keynote speaker. April approached the “fireside chat” interview with poise, professionalism, and confidence. What truly distinguishes April as a leader is not only her effectiveness, but her growth mindset and sense of care for others.

April’s contributions to Orientation and to numerous other student initiatives at Fuqua have made a meaningful and lasting impact on individual students and the broader community. I am excited to see the continued impact she will undoubtedly make post-Fuqua!”

Sarah Isham
Director of Student Life, Daytime MBA Program

 

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.