Her Story
About Lacey
Lacey Chance is a seasoned People & Strategy leader and Human Resources executive with over a decade of experience driving organizational transformation, M&A integration, and workforce strategy across North America and the global renewable energy and industrial automation sectors. She currently serves as President & Director of BaxEnergy Americas (a Yokogawa company) while also holding a global leadership role in Human Resources, M&A Integration, and Organization Strategy at Yokogawa. Her career has been defined by progressive leadership across HR functions, including employee relations, compensation and benefits design, leadership development, change management, HRIS, and post-merger integration, with a consistent focus on aligning people strategy with business performance.
Her professional background spans roles in organizations such as Yokogawa, Houston Ballet, Halliburton, and General Dynamics, where she built a reputation for resilient problem-solving, operational excellence, and strategic business partnership. She has been instrumental in supporting complex mergers and acquisitions, scaling HR operations, and advancing organizational effectiveness across global and North American markets, with a strong emphasis on business operations, customer engagement, and communications. She is also a U.S. Army veteran and has contributed to industry communities such as HR Houston, representing the State of Texas. Her academic foundation includes an Associate’s in Interdisciplinary Studies from Central Texas College, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Tarleton State University, and a Master of Science in Leadership and Management from Texas A&M University–Central Texas, complemented by certifications including SHRM-SCP, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, and Wharton Executive Education in Women’s Executive Leadership.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Lacey is deeply committed to advancing people development and social impact initiatives. She is the founder of Compassion Movement Incorporated, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals with challenging backgrounds gain access to professional skills training, resume development, and career readiness support, grounded in the belief that “your past does not define you, it refines you.” She is also active in volunteer work with organizations such as Rebuilding Together and the Red Cross, and has developed STEM-focused programs to encourage young women to explore careers in industrial automation and engineering fields. Outside of work, she enjoys paddleboarding, fitness, refinishing antique furniture, and creating stained glass art, reflecting a balance of creativity, discipline, and service in both her personal and professional life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lacey
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think that you have to be your own cheerleader. You have to be your own advocate, but you also need to find not just mentors, but champions of your success. You need to find others, not just in your world of work, but outside of your work, who you can have a sounding board with. And if it's inside your professional life, somebody internally that you can be candid and honest with, that will champion your cause, that will advocate for you. And that's what I have done. I wouldn't be where I am today without taking it upon myself to sit in leaders' rooms as a very young professional to say, how did you get to where you are today? And then following that same path, but also creating my own path to say, okay, people would ask me, why are you in this marketing call? Why do you even care about this? This is not your business unit. And I wanted to learn about the business, so I needed to be driven. I needed to understand that everybody in an organization is a sales organization. I needed to rely on my champions to ensure that they gave me the exposure, not just at a regional level or business level, but at a global level, to sit in on those discussions, to have a voice at the table and ensure that voice could be heard.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is that my job is not defined by my job description; rather, it is defined by how I choose to approach it and the value I create beyond it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it's having the courage and the boldness, and really the control, the temperament to not allow others around you, and it could be men or women, but primarily men - I work in a male-dominated industry - to have the courage, if you see something, say something. If you're experiencing something, say something, and you don't necessarily need to be rude or direct in your approach, but to be graceful in your approach to show that you are competent and that you can survive in this space, and that you have contributed. I myself was constrained by that for a very long time, and I let imposter syndrome kick in, I let a lot of things kick in. I think that you have to have the courage, and you have to have the wherewithal. You have to have the self-confidence and the grace to understand how to meet people where they are, all while showing your competence, experience to influence.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Because I was an HR professional and because I work for primarily a Japanese company, giving women exposure and having women be trusted leaders and moving them up in the organization is a challenge. We know that 50% of the workforce, for example, is going to retire, doesn't matter where you sit around the globe, by 2030. So, I think the challenge has become, how do I globally meet each culture where they are, everybody's values where they are, how do I present myself? How poised am I in each discussion that I have, and understanding that there are cultural nuances and there are cultural differences, and approaching those items with grace, if you will.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think personal values include integrity. I think that they involve courage, and that's in both professional and personal life. I think having the ability to be accountable, having the ability to be empathetic and compassionate, having the ability to be resilient, and really leadership - so inspiring, influencing, and supporting others. And maybe the last one is acts of service, contributing to the success of others, customers, colleagues, organizations, doesn't matter what it is.
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