Libous was president of his senior class at Johnson City High School. At a young age, he worked at his family's grocery store in Binghamton. Libous graduated from Broome Community College in 1973 and from the State University of New York at Utica in 1975, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance with honors. He worked on political campaigns for his uncle, Alfred Libous, who served as Mayor of Binghamton.
