A powerful reflection on leadership, resilience, and influence from a Project Manager recognized among the nation's influential women, celebrating the strength and impact of women in male-dominated industries.
Her Story
About Stacy
I've been in project management for over 10 years, and I'm currently a project manager for new construction, a position I've held for 2 years. My day-to-day involves Teams meetings with multiple large companies, emailing back and forth with vendors and customers, submitting orders, and ensuring that everything from the start of an order to completion flows properly. I work with riser companies and third-party vendors, handling different emergencies that can pop up and throw projects off course. I have the pleasure of working from home or in the office, which really helps with family life since I have 5 kids and a husband who works out of the house. Before this role, I ran a small family-owned plumbing company for 6 years where I was the office manager and dispatcher. I did the accounting, accounts payable, handled all the permits, put together all the contracts, reached out to vendors and coordinated everything. I basically wore all of the hats needed to run a complete business and dispatched the guys to their jobs. Prior to moving to Missouri, I lived in Tennessee where I was an administrative coordinator for the Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors, which is where my journey started. I have a degree in human and social services with a focus on human development, minored in law, and also got my associate's degree in applied science. My main area of expertise is absolutely project coordination to the T. I use it in my everyday life, in my family life, personal life, friendship calendars, travel, work. It's everything to me. I coordinate everything, and I feel like I've mastered it at this point.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Stacy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to dedication and time management. I manage my time and all my efforts very carefully. I also thrive in high-stress environments for some reason, and I've never understood that, but that's always helped me persevere. I think another reason I thrive in high-stress situations is because it's just something I've been used to doing since I was a little girl. I came from a very poor family where my parents were both drug addicts, and I feared being a statistic. Once I became a mother, I did everything in my path to never have my children go through what I had to go through as a kid. I just kind of knew what I didn't want to do in life and what I didn't want to have happen, so I just continued to keep going, even through the battles.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, if you fail, try again. If you don't keep trying, you're not going to succeed. Don't let the hard times get you down. It's a minor setback, building for a better future, and just keep pushing forward. You can do it, you know? Everybody can do it. You can do it.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Stacy
Leading With Strength, Strategy, and Purpose: A Woman in Project Management
From Project Manager to Influential Leader: Building Impact Through Resilience and Empowerment
Being recognized as part of a national Influential Women group is not just an honor — it is a responsibility. It represents resilience, growth, leadership, and the commitment to rise, even when the path isn’t easy. I am proud to stand alongside women across the country who are building, leading, innovating, and proving every day that our impact is powerful and lasting.
My career in Project Management has been built on structure, accountability, and results — but more importantly, it has been built on perseverance.
I began my professional journey in office management and operations, where I spent years mastering coordination, logistics, communication, and leadership behind the scenes. Those years shaped my foundation: attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, and the ability to manage high-pressure situations with clarity and composure.
Today, as a Project Manager in new construction and IT services, I oversee complex projects that require strategic planning, financial oversight, vendor coordination, client communication, scheduling, compliance, and execution from concept to completion. My role demands precision, adaptability, and decisive leadership. I manage timelines, budgets, expectations, and people — ensuring every moving part aligns toward a successful outcome.
Project management is not just about tasks and deadlines. It is about:
- Leading with confidence
- Making informed decisions under pressure
- Communicating clearly and effectively
- Holding teams accountable while empowering them
- Staying solution-focused when challenges arise
- Remaining highly organized and detail-oriented in every phase
It takes resilience to lead in industries that are often male-dominated. It takes courage to speak up at tables where you may be the only woman in the room. It takes discipline to continue growing when expectations are high and standards are even higher.
But here is what I know: women are exceptionally equipped for leadership.
We are strategic.
We are intuitive.
We are adaptable.
We are strong negotiators.
We lead with both intelligence and emotional awareness.
We build teams, not just projects.
Being an influential woman is not about perfection. It is about consistency. It is about showing up — even when it’s uncomfortable. It is about lifting other women as you climb. It is about knowing your value and refusing to shrink to make others comfortable.
If you fail, you regroup.
If you stumble, you adjust.
If you face resistance, you stand firm.
If one door closes, you build another.
Influence is not given — it is earned through integrity, hard work, and courage.
To every woman reading this:
Your voice belongs in the room.
Your ideas deserve to be heard.
Your leadership is needed.
Your growth is possible.
The future holds more women in executive roles, more women in construction and technology, more women running companies, leading national organizations, and shaping industries. The future holds collaboration over competition. The future holds confidence without apology.
I am committed not only to advancing in my career, but to mentoring, supporting, and encouraging other women to pursue leadership roles boldly and unapologetically.
Being part of this national recognition is a reminder that our impact reaches further than we realize. When one woman rises, she creates space for others to rise as well.
Let’s continue building.
Let’s continue leading.
Let’s continue proving that influence is not about title — it is about impact.
Together, we are shaping the future.
— Stacy McKaskle
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