As an outstanding shooter and master shot-blocker, Stacee Hans made an impressive mark on the game during her time on the Wilmington College women’s basketball team. Her records for career field goal percentage and blocked shots with the Lady Quakers remain in the record books to this day.

But Stacee’s tenacity on the court was only the beginning. Today, she is the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC)’s project manager for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, where she brings the leadership and team-building skills she refined on the court to the world of transportation and project management.

A native of Lucasville, Ohio, near the Portsmouth area, Stacee now calls Independence, Kentucky, her home with her husband Jeff and their two daughters, Kailynn (19) and Keira (16). Jeff is an accomplished basketball coach, entering his 13th season as the head women’s basketball coach at nearby Thomas More University.

After Wilmington College, Stacee pursued an advanced degree at the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Miami University. Later, while Jeff was an assistant coach at Indiana State in Terre Haute, she began her career as a watershed coordinator for the Partnership for Turtle Creek Reservoir in Merom, Indiana, focusing on shoreline stabilization and restoration projects.

Upon relocating to the Bluegrass State, Stacee transitioned to the commonwealth’s Division of Water before joining the KYTC District 6 office in Covington as an environmental coordinator in 2006.

Stacee says her career path from environmental to transportation sometimes surprises others. 

“When I graduated from college, I was hardcore into environmental sciences, and I was going to challenge everyone, including the transportation industry,” Stacee says. “It’s a bit ironic that I now work on this side, given where I started, but our goal is the same: to deliver a project that benefits the public while being environmentally sensitive.”

When it’s time for a breather, the Hans family heads to Lake Cumberland, a place that holds deep sentimental value. Stacee started visiting the lake as a child with her family and she now passes that tradition forward with her own girls.  

“I call the lake visits my reprieve, my sanctuary,” Stacee says. “When we need to recharge or just take a breath, that’s where we go.  It’s time we spend together as a family and one of the best things is the cell phone service is spotty. I’m out of range, have limited access to email, and I have to wait until I return to respond.”

Stacee sees the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to set a new standard and make a lasting impact on her community, much like her record-breaking days as a Wilmington College Lady Quaker.

“It’s almost surreal to be part of what I consider one of the most transformative projects for not only Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, but our entire region and the Midwest,” she says. “It’s amazing, and sometimes there aren’t even words to describe it.”